TARA ROZALOWSKY, NAPERVILLE National Psoriasis Foundation Naperville Walk
Tara’s oldest child, Sidney, was born with severe plaque psoriasis, but it took over two years for her to be diagnosed properly. Sidney's skin is 20-30 percent covered in active lesions at any given time and she needs daily medication and modifications to keep the disease from advancing.
“When you have psoriasis, your immune system has gone haywire; it tells your body to make skin cells at five times the normal rate,” Tara says. “These cells have nowhere to go, so they pile up on the surface of the skin in thick patches that crack and bleed.”
Beyond the intense itching, the most difficult part can be the social element. “Though it’s an autoimmune disease and not contagious, people think that they’ll catch what you’ve got,” Tara adds. “They stare at you in public places, move away from you on the bus and ask you to leave public pools and hair salons.”
Tara is on a mission to find a cure and is leading the first annual Naperville Walk for a Cure for Psoriatic Disease on November 1. Join the walk or support Sidney via www.npf.donordrive.com/team/sidney
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