Parents of kids with eczema react to heartbreaking boy in UK
It’s a story people are talking about all over the world. There’s a little boy in the United Kingdom with severe eczema begging his mother to let him die. The 5-year-old is in so much pain he can barely walk.
The Fox 26 Facebook page exploded with comments, many from parents of children with eczema. They’re offering sympathy by sharing their struggles. “It broke my heart for that little boy and his mom I just wanted to give her a hug. I know how hard it is to sit there and look at your child and there’s nothing you can do.You can try every single treatment your doctor gives you and there’s no guarantee that it’s going to get any better,” said Valerie Lowry.
We connected with Woodlands resident Valerie Lowry through an eczema support group on Facebook. Her 7-year-old son Jonah has had severe eczema since he was born. Weekly doctor visits, daily medication, and open sores all over his body are normal for Jonah. “There’s been times he’s gotten older the social aspect has had an impact on him, he doesn’t want people to see his eczema, he doesn’t want to take care of it in front of people,” said Lowry.
Valerie manages his eczema with wet wrap therapy. That’s a combination of soaking baths, steroid creams and moisturizers, followed by wearing wet clothes of gauze layered with dry clothes for 2 hours to bring the inflammation down. “It’s hard to watch your baby just want to be normal,” said Lowry.
Eczema is described as the itch that rashes. 10-to-20% of the population suffers from it, mostly children. “Trimming the nails, making sure they frequently moisturize child’s skin, avoid wool, anything that would irritate the skin.” Dry skin care is key, frequent moisturizing, knowing which products your child can tolerate,” said Houston dermatologist Paul Friedman.
He says the condition typically improves as a child gets older, though some adults have it as well.