More than just an itch

I’m running the Kirkstall Half Marathon on Saturday 16th March 2024 for Eczema Outreach Support.

Having ran for Macmillan in March 2023 to show support for my Nana and Grandad, I’ve chosen another cause close to my heart.

This will be a long explanation, please stick with it!

To be truthful, I didn’t know much about eczema until I met Helen. Like most people I thought eczema was something you grew out of, just an itch and a bit of dry skin. I thought there was creams and tablets out there that healed eczema. I didn’t think it affected many people.

However, 1 in 10 people will have eczema at some point in their life. Eczema isn’t just about the itch and the rash. Eczema is a much bigger battle than that, it’s a battle I witness every day and I’m in awe of the strength it takes.

It’s feeling too uncomfortable to go out, it’s worrying about what other people think, it’s the pain on your skin just from being in the shower. Eczema is the affect it has on your mental health, it’s feeling like you’re overreacting because ‘it’s just eczema’. It’s the middle of the night breakdowns because you can’t sleep, you can’t eat your favourite food, you can’t wear your favourite clothes. You’re prescribed steroid cream but nobody tells you about topical steroid withdrawals that can last years.

I’m going to be sharing Helen’s story (with her consent), through pictures, statistics and just the little task of a half marathon thrown in there to raise some awareness.

Eczema can feel isolating, I’m running for a charity trying to ease that.

Eczema Outreach Society is a charity to support children and young people with eczema. They provide practical and emotional support to over 4000 children in the UK. Their service is completely free and they rely on donations to do this.

Thank you if you’ve managed to read all of that to this point! I appreciate any donations as always, big or small it all count.

Let’s do this!

Meg x