ARLINGTON, Texas — Monday night was the start of My Cause My Cleats for Dallas Cowboys players. Individual players wear cleats to raise awareness and money for causes they care about.
America's Sweethearts, the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, observe "My Cause My Boots". For Armani Latimer, that meant going on the field without something.
Latimer has alopecia, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss. Ahead of the Dallas Cowboys Monday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Latimer went on the field without a wig for the first time, raising awareness for alopecia.
According to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, the disease affects nearly seven million people in the U.S. and 160 million worldwide. Women are more likely to develop alopecia than men, and women of Asian, Black and Hispanic descent have a higher chance of developing alopecia.
Latimer has raised awareness for the disease before. In September, she made a post on Instagram for Alopecia Awareness Month.
In the tunnel, other Cowboys cheerleaders were hyping Latimer up for the moment she took the field.
Hopefully, Latimer's display on Monday will inspire others to embrace their differences and raise awareness for the cause.