Kristi Silver A Monmouth University student majoring in public relations is spearheading an effort to build awareness of a disease that many people may have, though they may not be aware of it.
Kristi Silver of Howell, who will enter her senior year at Monmouth University, West Long Branch, in the fall, is the event chair of the Itching for a Cure 5K Walk to benefit the National Eczema Association (NEA). The walk will be held for the first time in New Jersey on June 8 on the campus of Monmouth University.
According to the National Eczema Association, eczema is a term for any type of dermatitis or itchy rash. There are several skin diseases that fall under the category of eczema. More than 30 million Americans, many of them children, have eczema. The condition is not contagious, but it can impact a person’s life more than people may realize.
“It’s such a big annoyance,” said Silver, 20, who has been plagued by eczema since birth. “You’re constantly itchy, everything from the weather to your mood, to what you eat, to the fabric of your clothes, everything can trigger it. … I’m constantly scratching, my parents are constantly yelling at me to stop scratching, and it’s not like I want to scratch. I can’t help it. It affects my mood, what I have to eat and what [foods] I have to choose from.”
Silver said because sweat irritates her skin, she cannot do as much physical activity as she would like.
“I’m not really so ashamed and embarrassed about it now, but I remember when I was a little kid I would get teased, ‘Oh what’s that on your skin?’ and people would think I was contagious and did not want to touch me. It is absolutely not contagious and it’s basically just dry red patches of skin that accumulate in certain areas of the body. I particularly have it bad on my arms and behind my neck, but it can be anywhere on the body.”
Silver said topical steroid creams can alleviate the symptoms. One works for a while, and it stops working when her body gets used to it, so she has to move on to the next one. She has found that cortisone shots and oral prednisone have given her a great deal of relief, totally eradicating the red spots and itchy skin and patches, but the positive effects only last about two months, and doctors will not prescribe it too often because of other side effects.
“There are a lot of people with eczema, and you can grow out of it, but my doctor said if I haven’t grown out of it by now, I probably won’t, so I could be suffering with it for the rest of my life with no permanent solution. That’s why I really wanted to get involved and do this to educate people about eczema. Some people may get it and not even know what it is,” she said.
