I was first diagnosed when I was very young, which I found very difficult because I wanted to live like a teenager and not have to spend my entire life dealing with this disease!
I had a lot of dreams for the future, but psoriasis changed my life: It stopped me from doing sports. It stopped me from having a normal social life. I had to change the way I dressed so that my skin wouldn’t show. I spent a lot of time in hospital trying all sorts of treatments but it was not easy to find the right one. It was difficult for me physically and emotionally - I wanted to die.
Fortunately, in 1991 I found out about "GIPSO" the Groupe D'aide à la Recherche et à l'Information sur le Psoriasis, a patient organisation in Belgium that provides psoriasis information to people like me. I attended a meeting which affected me so much I wanted to devote all my free time to help others with psoriasis.
Since then, my life has changed! Working with the patient group gave me a new found confidence and I discovered skills and capabilities I didn’t even know I had.
I think that I am stronger now than before so I want to share my own experience with people who suffer from psoriasis and tell them that even if they suffer from psoriasis it's possible to live as a "normal" person.
In the past, my psoriasis decided how I lived my life. Today, I sing, I dance, I love meeting new people. Now I decide how I want to live.
