Psoriasis Advance
She's only 7, but Emily Koger has a lot to say about living with psoriasis
By Kari Soderberg
From Winter/Spring 2009 Psoriasis AdvanceIt was March 2008 and 6-year-old Emily Koger was itchy. Emily's mom, Lesa Koger, didn't think much of it—Utah winters are cold and very dry. "We told Emily to apply some cream and forgot about it."
Fast forward a few days. Emily developed small sores on her torso that kept getting bigger and began to cover more of her body. "I thought it was chicken pox at first, but the sores didn't scab over," said Lesa, who lives in Mapleton, Utah. "We went to a pediatrician who thought it was eczema, but the topical steroid he prescribed was not effective and the sores continued to grow."
Wanting a second opinion, the Kogers took Emily to a dermatologist who diagnosed her with dry skin. Not satisfied, the Kogers began trolling the Internet for answers. When they landed on the National Psoriasis Foundation Web site, they realized Emily's sores, which covered 15 percent of body, were psoriasis.
"I felt kind of cool because I was different than everybody else, Emily says. But I wish I didn't have to take shots and pills and put creams and ointments on all the time."
Teaching her peers
When school began in the fall, Emily's medication, cyclosporine, which had cleared her skin, stopped working and gave her severe side effects. She started first grade with visible spots on her body.
"A lot of kids would ask me what the spots were on my body. I would say, 'It's not contagious,' " she says.
Wanting to explain more to her classmates about psoriasis, Lesa encouraged her daughter to present information from the Psoriasis Foundation's School Action Packet with her to her class. The packet teaches school-aged children about psoriasis and how it feels.
"It's fun to present because other kids show me their eczema and we get to compare. I even met another kid at my school with psoriasis," Emily says.
Her favorite presentation was to a different first-grade class with kids who had given her a hard time about her skin. The packet helped them understand psoriasis better, she says. "Now they don't bother me about it anymore."
From Lesa's perspective, the information has helped the other kids understand that their differences—wearing glasses, having freckles or living with a chronic illness—make them who they are.
So far, Emily and her mom have presented to eight classes at Emily's school.
Making a difference in Washington, D.C.
Educating other kids about psoriasis inspired both Emily and her mother to do even more to help people understand the disease. That's why, in February, Emily and her family decided to join a hundred other volunteers in Washington, D.C., for the Foundation's Capitol Hill Day. They were able to speak with their members of Congress about psoriasis and encourage them to increase funding to help find a cure.
Walking toward a cure
The Koger family is also planning to participate in the National Psoriasis Walk for Awareness in Salt Lake City in June. Emily will be the walk's "ambassador" and is excited to have the role. "It means that I need to tell people about psoriasis. If I help people learn about psoriasis, then I'm not just helping myself, I'm helping lots of people."
Emily, her three sisters, and her parents will be participating as Team Emily. Lesa says the walk is a way for the rest of the family to get involved and work together to find a cure for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
Says Emily: "The best part is that the walk raises money for research and finding a cure. I get to help with that!"
Kari Soderberg is the Psoriasis Foundation's public relations manager.