The Story Behind Coops Clothing: Our Journey with Eczema

‘‘Our life was a constant battle to keep him comfortable. His bed sheets were constantly blood stained from the scratching, and his face was puffy from the steroid inhaler. As a Mother, you feel so helpless watching your child in agony and there is nothing you can do. Throw in sleepless nights with scratching and crying, plus a new baby and well life has been hectic…’’, Kirsty Smith, Founder of Coops Clothing

Coops Clothing was named after Cooper (Coops), Kirsty’s first son, who has been on quite the journey with eczema. By sharing this story, here at Coops Clothing we hope we can help other parents if their child suffers with eczema. In her words, Kirsty shares her story…

‘‘Cooper first got eczema when he was 10 months old. We were told to use moisturiser and barrier creams by the GP and so, that’s what we did.

A few months later, at the age of one, his eczema had still not improved. Back to the GP we went. Once again, we were met with advice to use creams and moisturisers. It was beyond frustrating, being told the same thing over and over.

It wasn't until Cooper was two, that we were able to find out he had a dairy allergy, and this was only after pleading with a dermatologist for a blood test. So, we thought we had a solution, change his diet a little more and this should work. Cooper was pretty much dairy free already, so it didn't impact our lives that much, but it was helpful to have a definite answer. However, this was once again a dead end and his eczema continued to flare up and worsen.

By the time he was three we had been using steroid creams for over 18 months on and off with little results. We had been referred once again to a dermatologist, but every time we had an appointment, they just kept prescribing stronger steroid creams for our son’s delicate skin. Even on adult skin steroids are extremely harsh and not for long term use, often causing bruising, scaring and your skin becomes addicted to the medication. This is where I began researching more natural and homeopathic routes. I was truly losing my faith in the UK health system.

From here, the journey for our little Cooper got worse, he started to develop asthma which seemed to escalate quite quickly, from needing an inhaler once a week to several times a day.

Eventually, we were referred to have a skin prick test, which revealed an allergy to eggs, house dust mites and dog dander. We of course, tried to do absolutely everything we possibly could to remove these allergens from Cooper's environment but, still he remained in constant discomfort. We were once again at a dead end.

Back and forth to the GP’s and dermatologists we went, but all they seemed interested in, was relieving Cooper’s symptoms and never focusing on a long term solution.

So many eczema sufferers are expected to do exactly that, suffer! It is an autoimmune disease that scientists can't find a cure for, with so little research into this all-too-common disease.

Myself and my partner, decided didn't want Cooper to be on a daily dose of antihistamine, steroid creams and a steroid inhaler for the foreseeable future. This isn’t a long-term solution.

We finally agreed to seek an alternative option for Cooper by using a nutritionist and homeopath. The start of the homeopathic remedies was horrendous. Cooper's skin had a chronic eruption that put him in hospital, an awful time for us all. No parent wants to see their child in pain. It was excruciating for him and after all of that we were once again sent home with no long-term care plan for Cooper.

However, there is now a glimmer of hope. Despite the horrible start with the homeopathic remedies, with little to no options left, we stuck with it. We know, it will be a slow process, but we hope to cure his eczema and asthma. Through this we also hope to detox his body from the prolonged use of steroids. There have been some positive signs with his asthma already, he hasn’t used his inhaler for nearly a month now and his skin is less inflamed, still incredibly itchy, but we are seeing improvement.

We are so relieved to have finally found a solution for our child, one that was never offered to us through the UK healthcare system, it is one we had to research and find on our own. I truly hope by sharing our story, it helps other parents out there, battling the same journey as us. I wish I could give you the magic answer, but every child is different. I will say listen to your gut and trust your instincts as a Parent, you know what is best for your little ones.''

Kirsty x