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Tear-jerking moment boyfriend shaves his girlfriend's head as she copes with alopecia - and then turns the clippers on himself in a tender act of support

A woman with alopecia asked her boyfriend to shave her head after her hair began falling out for the fourth time, but was left 'speec...

A woman with alopecia asked her boyfriend to shave her head after her hair began falling out for the fourth time, but was left 'speechless' and teary-eyed when he also shaved his own hair off.
Eva Barilaro, 23, was told she has alopecia universalis, an autoimmune disease causing loss of hair, in September 2010 when she was 13 years old.
She had spent months growing her hair, but it began falling out for the fourth time in May.
Eva, from Monaco, was at first 'convinced' it would grow back but then asked her boyfriend Damien Fabre, 26, to shave her head.
He initially 'refused' saying she looked 'too beautiful', but when she said she 'couldn't stand seeing it fall anymore' he agreed and they filmed the emotional moment to send to her family and friends.



Eva Barilaro, 23, has alopecia and asked her boyfriend Damien Fabre, 26, to shave her head
Eva's hair began falling out in May, after she spent months growing her hair
Eva Barilaro, from Monaco, has alopecia and asked her firefighter boyfriend Damien Fabre, 26, to shave her head after her hair began falling out in May

An emotional video shows Damien turn the clippers on his own head after shaving his girlfriend's head, leaving a stunned Eva, 23, in tears at his supportive gesture
An emotional video shows Damien turn the clippers on his own head after shaving his girlfriend's head, leaving a stunned Eva, 23, in tears at his supportive gesture
In the video, Eva's firefighter boyfriend shaves her head with their neighbour's hair clippers.
But as Damien finishes, he immediately turns the clippers on his own head in a heart-warming moment.
He shaves down the centre of his head as Eva bursts into tears at his supportive gesture.
Damien hugs Eva and kisses her as she watches teary-eyed before turning to help him shave the rest of his head.
Eva said Damien told her that he was 'just like you now' as she was stunned at his decision.
Eva said: 'My first reaction was to try to stick the fallen hair back on his head as I didn't want him to be bald too. 
'But he had already drawn a highway in the middle of his head. I was confused with all the emotions possible mixing up at the same time.'
Eva, who is a business law graduate from the Paris Institute of Political Studies, said she was 'speechless' when Damien decided to shave his head.
Eva was told she has alopecia universalis, an autoimmune disease causing loss of hair, in September 2010 when she was 13 years old and underwent four years of high dosage cortisone treatment. Pictured, Eva with Damien in his firefighter uniform
Eva was told she has alopecia universalis, an autoimmune disease causing loss of hair, in September 2010 when she was 13 years old and underwent four years of high dosage cortisone treatment. Pictured, Eva with Damien in his firefighter uniform
Eva, pictured with Damien, had been growing her hair for months before it started to fall out for the fourth time. After she shared the tear-jerking video on TikTok she received floods of supportive messages, making her realise she was not alone and it was 'OK to be sad'
Eva, pictured with Damien, had been growing her hair for months before it started to fall out for the fourth time. After she shared the tear-jerking video on TikTok she received floods of supportive messages, making her realise she was not alone and it was 'OK to be sad'
She said: 'At night I took the time to hug him and thank him with all my heart to make him understand that what he did was the best proof of his love for me. I felt that from now I will never ever be alone. We were forming a team.'
Eva underwent four years of high dosage cortisone treatment when she was was first told she had alopecia, which she said had 'nearly the same consequences' as chemotherapy.
After posting the video on TikTok, people began reaching out to Eva and asking her how she felt which, after a mixture of emotions, she said helped her understand it was 'OK to feel sad and not as strong as usual'.
She added: 'Indeed, seeing myself bald in the mirror is something daily for me, so I was a bit upset when people started to ask me how I was feeling. 
'It was my daily basis, I felt like people where only starting to realise my daily life wasn't as easy as they thought. Indeed, I never stop smiling, I wear beautiful scarves or very natural wigs, it becomes normal for them... never for me. 
'So when the video became viral, it hasn't been so easy. It was reviving many souvenirs and things I had dug deep down.'
Eva said at first she did not feel anything, as being bald is familiar to her, leaving her surprised when relatives started asking her how she was doing. 
Eva, who studied business law in Paris, is urging others with alopecia to speak out about their experiences so nobody else has to feel alone. Pictured, Eva with Damien
Eva, who studied business law in Paris, is urging others with alopecia to speak out about their experiences so nobody else has to feel alone. Pictured, Eva with Damien
She said: 'I thought it's been 10 years that I wake up in the morning seeing my face in the mirror like that. So why people ask me how I feel now... this is what made me realise that it was ok to be sad. 
'Even though I am very surrounded, I am always alone in front of my mirror. People tend to forget that if it's normal to them, it will never be normal to me.
'Society imposes stereotypes to which we should fit, but I believe these stereotypes don't exist at all. To me, 'different' doesn't exist. We are all unique, with our specificities, our proper stories... it's not about being different, because no one is alike.'
She is encouraging other people with alopecia to talk about their experiences so that nobody feels alone again, adding that 'we all deserve to be listened to' and to be loved.
Eva said: 'Whatever you specificities are as a unique person, you deserve to be loved. And to be loved you need to learn to accept yourself, to love yourself as the unique and beautiful person you are.' 
The emotional moment was filmed on May 7 in Eva and Damien's shared home in Monaco.

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