Meet my sweet girl and an eczema conqueror, Daniela, answering my questions at the age of seven, two years after her skin healed. Once labeled an Eczema Kid, she is now a musician, artist, ice-skater and so much more.
Before and after photos, taken approximately 3 months apart
Do you remember how your skin felt when you had eczema?
Yes. I remember itching and scratching all over my body. I always had a rash on my skin and a bunch of bumps on my face when I looked at myself in the mirror.
How did it make you feel?
I felt like I was the one kid who was not the same as everybody else. I was the different one, with bumps all over me. I was the odd one out.
What was the most difficult part about having eczema?
Every time I stepped into the ocean or took a shower, I was crying and screaming because it itched and burned. I remember not sleeping because I had pain in my legs, then it switched to my arms, and then went all over my body like an airplane flying around. I remember trying to hide the itching in school, so people would not stare at me or make fun of me. In every photo and video you or Daddy took, I had a rash or I was scratching myself.
How did it feel when your eczema went away?
It felt like a huge relief. I stopped itching and when I went to swimming class, I did not have any pain. I felt like a normal kid who could do everything in the world.
What do you want to say to kids who have eczema?
To all of you kids out there who have eczema or something similar, make sure to keep on fighting, and one day you will get better like me.
Daniela at the finishing line of a one mile run. With eczema, any outdoor and most indoor activities meant a major hassle, itchy irritated skin, and a cranky child. Now she can run, swim, skate, have sleepovers, go camping, and be a regular kid.