A six-year-old girl who suffers from painful eczema that causes her skin to weep and bleed was unable to bathe without being in pain and missed over seven months of school before finding the right treatment to help her sore skin. Esme Cockram from Pontardawe, near Swansea, was diagnosed with mild eczema as a toddler, which appeared in the creases of her skin.
However, two years ago, her condition worsened and she was covered in eczema from head to toe, even losing hair due to the chronic condition. Esme struggles to sleep due to the intense itching and mum Leanne has to change her bedding daily, as the sheets are covered in blood by morning.
As a result of her painful skin, Esme missed seven months of school last term and struggled to get out of bed due to the pain caused by her broken, sore skin. Leanne said that the whole family was impacted by her waking throughout the night and baths were so painful that she refused to go near them for a year.
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To help control her eczema, Esme attends Singleton Hospital in Swansea for dermatology appointments and is on strong immunosuppressants that have made a big difference to her skin. She is now back at school in year two and can tolerate baths and cream application.
Leanne, said: "It's been such a long road but the difference in the last few months has been incredible. From being too ill to attend school for seven months, she is now back full-time and is even applying her own creams without too much fuss. Over the years we tried steroids, emollients and UV light therapy but none helped so we are over the moon that we have found something that seems to be working.
"Her consultant at Singleton Hospital has been amazing. He was there when my husband Steven had to carry her wrapped in a blanket with her skin weeping and oozing and said he would do everything he could to make things better. And he really did, he would even phone the house regularly to check in on how Esme was doing".
Now, Esme is starring in an animation from Eczema Outreach Support (EOS), featuring children from EOS that live with eczema. The family joined EOS for support and advice, as the UK charity supports almost 4000 children with eczema and their families.
Leanne said: "Starring in the animation has been a huge boost for Esme, it was lovely for her to get something positive from having eczema and she loved being part of something with other kids with eczema. She worked really hard to learn the script and it really gave her a confidence boost when she was feeling very down about her skin".
The family joined EOS in 2021 and said it's been a great source of support and help for Esme and the family. Leanne added: "The charity sent a welcome pack with things that can help children with eczema and Esme has benefitted from knowing there are other children like her out there. There is no-one in her school affected to the same extent and she felt quite alone and would be very self-conscious about her skin.
"People don't realise how awful eczema can be, it's not always just an itchy patch, it can affect the whole family and impact every minute of your day".
The new animation from EOS is out now and aims to make children with eczema feel less alone and educate their peers on ways they can be a better friend to someone with eczema. Christine Roxburgh, CEO of EOS said: "Eczema can be a very isolating condition, with children and young people feeling like they are the only ones to suffer from what can be a very visible condition.
"Our new animation aims to let children know they are not alone, give them tips on how to help their skin and educate their family and friends on what eczema is and how it can feel".
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