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Don’t be discouraged if you kiss a few toads before finding “the one” for you.

That’s what Alisha Radford wants to tell other young women who are affected by ectodermal dysplasia. The 25-year-old woman who is affected by ankyloblephron-ectodermal dysplasia-clefting (AEC) syndrome  says that she dated several shallow guys before finding her husband, Jeff Radford. She thought she’d always be single.

 “Dating is hard. It’s not easy for any teen. There was one guy who left me at a restaurant when I told him about my condition. I had to call my best friend to come get me. I was hurt.”

Alisha later came to accept that the problem was his, not hers.

“It was his loss. I have all this love to give someone. If he couldn’t accept me, he’s not a big enough man for me.”

She says that she learned to have confidence in herself and that drew people to her. Several years ago, she met Jeff on a blind date and 18 months later they were married on Leap Day.

“Jeff accepts me. He loves to rub my head!” Alisha said. ““There’s someone out there made for you. You can have your wig off, your dentures out and just be you. He’s out there. You will find him and he’ll love you – ectodermal dysplasia and all.”

She used to teach and work with young children who had anger issues. Today, she travels with Jeff with his job as a pipefitter. The duo likes to hike and do other outdoor activities.

Alisha, who was diagnosed at birth, says she has great parents and two sisters who always helped her while growing up in the small Florida town where she was raised. She has sparse hair, abnormal nails, no sweat glands, dental implants, and a cleft palate.

“My parents were open and talked about it a lot (with me),” Alisha said. “I could say ‘ectodermal dysplasia’ clearly even though I had other speech issues.”

She lost her hair in the third grade. Today, Alisha prefers to wear synthetic hair wigs rather than the natural hair wigs because they last longer and are not as expensive. She recommends ForeverYoung.com Web site as it has younger, hipper styles and not just “old lady hair”!  She encourages young girls to mix it up and change styles.  When she is hot, she prefers just to wear a bandana on her head.

Alisha got her first set of full dentures at age five from Dr. Fred Musinger in Tampa, Florida.

“I loved him,” she exclaimed. “It was a positive experience. My mom insisted that I wear them, so I did.”

Alisha would be happy to talk to other young women who are affected by ectodermal dysplasia. If you are interested, please contact Kelley at the NFED office.

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