Sophomore Megan Delong is one of the many Americans affected by eczema daily.

Eczema is an itchy red rash that can appear all over the body. Many people have eczema on their elbows or behind their knees. Babies often have Eczema on their face, especially the cheeks or chin.

Being born with a severe case of eczema, Delong was dragged to many different treatments, stayed the night at multiple hospitals, and has seen a variety of doctors to help tame her eczema.

Because of all the traveling, Delong would often struggle dealing with the curious looks from strangers.

“People always stared,” Delong said. “It was embarrassing when I was younger because that was when my eczema was at its worst.”

Delong struggled with her eczema the most during the winter.

The dry weather often makes her skin more sensitive than it already is.

“The itch can be unbearable if it is not treated correctly,” Delong said. “When I was younger I didn’t quite understand that, so I would not always treat my skin how it should be treated.”

When Delong turned 6, she lost her hair for reasons that no doctor could figure out. Her sudden hair loss caused her to lose her eyebrows, too.

“I really did not understand what was happening to me,” Delong said.

Delong had to wear hats throughout elementary school and the start of middle school to cover her scalp so she would not feel so exposed.

“Students would often think that it was unfair that I wore hats and say that it was against school policy,” Delong said.

Delong’s older sister, senior Jennifer Delong, empathizes with her.

“When Megan lost her hair, she had people stare at her and ask her if she had cancer,” Jennifer said. “Some adults would even drag their kids away from her, claiming she was contagious in front of her. It was sad.”

When Delong turned 11, her hair started growing back and she was not quite sure what was happening to her.

“I remember the first time my hair started growing back. I actually asked my mom to cut it out,” Delong said. “I thought it was dog hair because I did not have any hair for such a long time. I had no clue what it was.”

Delong looks up to her mother the most and is thankful that her mom has always been there for her.

“My mom is so inspirational to me,” Delong said. “She moved to America from Canada and she chased her dreams to become a nurse. That takes a lot of guts at such a young age.

“I think my mom understands me the most, too. It made having eczema that much easier because she understood what was going on with me,” she said.

Delong admitted that having eczema and losing her hair was hard on her when she was younger, but as she grew older, she started learning different ways to make herself happy.

“I started spending more time with friends and family,” Delong said. “They took my mind off the fact that I lost my hair and had eczema. They helped me become more confident.”

Jennifer saw how her sister grew to love herself more as she became older.

“She never really complained about strangers staring or that I noticed,” Jennifer said. “It was almost like she saw her situation and finally accepted it.”

When Delong entered high school, she started swimming to keep herself occupied.

“I started swimming my freshman year,” Delong said. “I did not really want to swim at first because my parents forced me to, but the more I did it the more it grew on me. Now I am going onto my third year of swimming.”

Delong has also found many other passions like reading, listening to music, hanging out with friends, and cuddling with her dogs.

She also likes food.

“I love to eat,” Delong said, comically.

From then on, she has had no problem being herself and does not let having eczema take the humor out of her life.

Delong has made a big impact on both her childhood friend, eighth-grader Mckenna McDonald, and her sister Jennifer.

“We grew up together, so Megan has always been someone I looked up to,”McDonald said. “She is that person that you cannot help but be anything but happy around. We always laugh when we are hanging out.”

Jennifer admires how courageous Delong has been while dealing with her eczema and her previous hair loss.

“The way she held strong without any indication of weakness is something that I have always looked up to,” Jennifer said.

From Delong’s previous experiences, she is interested in becoming an acupuncturist after high school.

“It all seemed really interesting to me when I had to get it (acupuncture) done to drain my sinuses,” Delong said. “It is also better to give it than to receive it.”

Delong has never given up on herself and continues to find confidence by surrounding herself with people that support and love her.

“It helps being surrounded by people who continue to push me to be better,” she said. “Whatever you are going through, it gets better with time. Just do not give up.”