Hello from Jake

I like how Kaitlyn and Carly posted but does anyone else want to post on here? Where is Logan, Emily, Ben, and Katie? Where are you guys? I want to see pictures of my friends.

From Jake

Katelyn and Carly's Story

This blog is a product of the bond we share as mothers of children with Psoriasis. I hope that what we share here will support others dealing with the physical and emotional effects of the disease.

My girls were 7 and 5 when Psoriasis entered our lives. I'm not sure exactly where it all began? I think it was a small red bug bite (or so I thought) on Katelyn's leg after summer camp.

Gradually over the next few months she had more "Spots" and her sister developed them as well. Last fall (2007) we were searching for answers. Nothing really made sense. Why did her sister also have the spots? Was it contagious? Why didn't I have any "spots"? We tried creams, Allergists, Dermatologists and of course our pediatrician. We had several different guesses at what was wrong. People stared, we cried and I struggled with so many different feelings. We had parents questioning our attendance at school and spent months on a strict gluten free diet.

In December it was obvious that Carly was now much worse than Katelyn. The lesions covered her entire body, her ears were covered inside and out and her scalp was covered by THICK lesions. The daily bumps and bruises of childhood led to pain and bleeding. Emotionally this was tough for everyone!

We found a great Dermatologist who diagnosed Strep and explained how Psoriasis is most commonly triggered by Strep. (Stress and Injury are two other triggers) He did a biopsy on Carly's spots and prescribed UV treatment three times a week for three months for both of my children. We also began trying tons of different topical medications, nothing was helping. Both girls were treated for strep on several occasions and in February we thought the UV Treatments were helping. Then suddenly they were worse! Strep again!

When everything else failed, we decided to take things to the next level. Our Dr. called some colleagues and we soon received a call from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), who wanted to see both girls right away.

By the time our appointment arrived, Carly was showing signs of Psoratic Arthritis. The appointment was rather intense and we were given some medication options. These were not nice options. They are serious drugs with serious side effects. We needed to be sure. Sent home with the information needed to make an informed decision. We researched the medications and chose to begin Methotrexate (MTX) Injections right away. Of course right away meant a few weeks .. however long it would take for the physicals and blood work to get a baseline for monitoring.

Our first injection for Carly was in the Pediatricians office. I didn't think I would ever be able to do it alone. She was wiped out after that injection. Just not her self and tired. Our next injection was at home and went rather well. I soon learned about the auto injector you can purchase to insert he needle in and that made it so much easier!

Soon, Carly started loosing her hair and Katelyn was becoming very self-conscious and withdrew. We decided to start Katelyn on MTX for concern for her emotional health and a fear she woudl worsen. Carly was soon fitted for a wig and before we knew it school was out for the summer.

We are now 4 months into our treatments and the girls are finally clear. Since the injections began we have seen few side effects and no complaints of sore joints.

There are so many details I can share about this journey. The thing to remember is that everyone needs to make the decision that is right for them. Finding the right Dr. and facility to treat your child is one of the most important thing you can do. And,as always, rust yourself to do what is right for your child!

Jake and I are going to walk in Dallas!!

I just posted this on my family blog hoping to raise some funds for the NPF. You can track our progress by pressing the link to my personal page on the bottom of this letter. We have never done a walk before but we are very excited to be involved. Have any of you done a walk in the past? We will post pictures of it all when we finish in September. Wish us luck! :)

Dear Blogger buddies,

I know there are many wonderful worthwhile causes that you can choose to support but I am asking you today to support a cause that is very close to my family.

I think most of you know that our son Jacob has psoriasis. He developed the disease when he was six years old and he has spent the last two and half years trying to stay clear. Jacob now is under the care of a wonderful doctor in Dallas who has kept him all cleared up now for three months. He takes serious medications in order to keep his skin and body healthy. Last weekend when Jacob and I were in Orlando for the National Psoriasis Foundation conference we learned about a walk for awareness that will be going on in Dallas on September 20th. Jacob really wanted to participate in the fund raiser/awareness raiser and I did as well. We signed up as a team to walk and now we are asking our friends, family, coworker and any one else who will listen for donations. The foundation does amazing work to better the lives of people with psoriasis. Jacob and I are blessed to be associated with such wonderful caring people. We really want to give back and try and bring more light to this disease.

Psoriasis is a common, chronic, noncontagious skin disease that causes red, scaly patches, which can appear on any part of the body. It can cause the skin to itch, crack and bleed as well as hair to fall out. Psoriasis on the hands or feet can prevent people from doing everyday tasks such as writing or walking. Ten percent to 30 percent of people with psoriasis also develop psoriatic arthritis, which causes pain, stiffness and swelling in and around the joints. The National Psoriasis Foundation is dedicated to improving the quality of life of people who have psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Through education and advocacy, the Psoriasis Foundation promotes awareness and understanding, ensures access to treatment, and supports research that will lead to effective management and, ultimately, a cure. According to the National Institutes of Health, as many as 7.5 million Americans have psoriasis (of which approximately 1 million of these patients are children). I am asking you to help me make a difference in the lives of those affected by this disease.

I know money is tight for most families right now but if you felt you had it in your budget to participate in this cause we would greatly appreciate it. We sent out emails inviting many of you to participate but we didn't have every one's email addresses so I thought I would post it here on my blog as well. To make a donation please go to my personal page to find out more about psoriasis or other ways you can help with finding a cure please go to the National Psoriasis Foundation website.

Thank you all so much for your kind words, prayers and support,

The Clement Family

Welcome all!!

Hey everyone we sure do miss you all. It was so wonderful to meet other mothers and kids who are struggling with this same disease. We hope that this blog will keep us all connected and encouraged. Please feel free to post about anything that you would like to share. If you need help with any of the technical stuff I will do my best to talk you through it just email me or give me a call. I added some pictures on the side of the blog from the conference. I only had a few of the group (most of my pictures were of just Jake and me). We would love to see some of the moments you caught on camera so please add them on one of your posts.

What did everyone think of the conference? I thought that everyone did a great job. I know that the conference was not focused specifically for our little ones so some of it was a little above them but all in all I am very pleased that we attended. I think my favorite part was meeting all of you. I know that was Jake's favorite part. Your kids are all so fun and special we hope that we can all get together again sometime. Until that day we will have this blog to stay connected.

Let me stress that this is NOT my blog it is all of our blog so please contribute often. I can't wait to hear from you all.