pathoscribe

Written by Simran Ahluwalia | Art by Anoushka Pandya

GoFundMe link: Donate Now!

While most people associate the month of October with fall, Halloween, and other holidays, it is also important to note it is National Eczema Awareness Month! Eczema is a chronic skin condition that causes dry, itchy, inflamed, and oftentimes, painful skin. (The Ultimate Itch: Psoriasis and Eczema – pathoscribe!) Eczema impacts 31 million Americans everyday and leads to an economic burden of $5 billion every year. This is where the National Eczema Society comes in.

 NEA is a national non-profit focussed on creating an eczema community fueled by knowledge and strengthened by action and the promise of a better future for those living with eczema. They are dedicated to informing, educating, and providing resources for people affected by eczema. NEA aims to increase public awareness of the disease by supporting research to discover the cause, treatment, and cure for eczema. The National Eczema Association mostly aims to represent individuals with eczema to improve their quality of life. NEA was first established in 1988 in Portland, Oregon by a group of dedicated nurses, doctors, and more who were concerned with the colossal social, medical, and economic consequences of this disease, and they have continued changing the eczema community for the better in the decades since then.

NEA is composed of hundreds of accredited  professionals. Their national volunteer Board of Directors includes patients, parents, doctors, and nurses, all experienced with eczema and dedicated to helping make the world a better place for people with eczema. NEA’s Scientific and Medical Advisory Council is made up of top researchers and clinicians in eczema. They help support NEA by guiding their research and patient and professional education in matters related to eczema science and medicine. Their staff is made up of nonprofit professionals who are dedicated to NEA’s success in aiding the millions of people with eczema that they serve. Lastly, the National Eczema Association is made up of the hundreds of donors and volunteers who raise money for the cause and raise awareness in their own communities.

So why should you consider supporting the National Eczema Association? NEA does amazing work to advance the cause of treating and curing eczema everyday. As a nonprofit association, donations are the main support in continuing to carry out their missions of supporting important research, advocating for people with eczema, creating patient programs, and so much more. Even a small donation could help change the lives of the 31 million American men, women, and children that live with this disease everyday. Every donation has a meaningful impact on the eczema community: 32% of all donations go to support and education, 28% goes to continuing impactful research into treating and curing eczema, 24% goes to raising eczema awareness, and 16% goes to supporting administration and fundraising so that NEA can keep on doing the amazing work they do.

In the month of Eczema Awareness, let us all work together and do our part in helping to create a better future for those living with eczema everyday. As individuals it is hard to raise awareness about this disease, but together supporting organizations like the National Eczema Association, we can make a great impact. Your support, your donation, could help further the work of the hundreds of doctors, patients, nurses and more, who are working everyday to cure this disease. Through your donation to NEA, no matter how big or how small, you could join hundreds of other donors and volunteers to help create a radically different, more positive, future for millions of people affected by eczema everyday. Visit our GoFundMe to help support the National Eczema Association today!

Works Cited: 

“About Nea.” National Eczema Association, 8 Aug. 2024, nationaleczema.org/about-nea/.

“National Eczema Association.” National Organization for Rare Disorders, 3 Oct. 2023, rarediseases.org/organizations/national-eczema-association/.