How would you respond to your seemingly flawless skin suddenly being covered with pustules, flakes, and lesions? Well, I had my first outbreak during the summer of 2005 and psoriasis invaded my body and altered my life without warning. There’s no trace in my family history and to date, doctors still don’t have a rational explanation as to what triggered this. My story is unique in that not only do I have psoriasis, but I also have Lupus, and sometimes the medications I take counteract each other and make the situation worse. See, it’s not a problem when it’s covered up with makeup, hats, pants, jeans, or long sleeve shirts. When you have a skin flare-up, the looks that question what’s wrong can damage your esteem, but you learn to walk in confidence in spite of the prejudgments.

Every person’s story with psoriasis is a journey from the diagnosis, the struggles, and learning to manage the physical, social, mental, and emotional aspects of living with this disease. My faith has been strengthened through all the tests that this disease has given. There are many ways you can empower yourself in your daily life, so I’m determined to shout it out to everyone that you can give your acceptance speech to living with this disease.