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Laura Weaver is allergic to almost everything.
Eczema sufferer Laura WeaverDairy products, some fruit and wheat, peanuts, soaps, sprays, perfumes, non-cotton clothing, plastic furniture and grass. The list is almost endless.
These everyday foods and products irritate her skin, so that she is covered with eczema. The itching keeps her awake all night.
"It's from the moment I get out of bed because it's dry and very sore," says 13-year-old Laura.
"It's hard to move about until I've got my creams on and had a bath, more creams and bandages, and through the day it's mostly sore all the way through, if I start reacting it cracks and gets very painful."
Laura's skin is failing to act as a barrier, and instead of keeping harmful chemicals out, it's letting them in.
The result is a sunburn-like rash all over her body.
It is rare to have such an extreme reaction to so many things and it is something that attracts unwanted attention.
"Certainly during primary school a lot of kids were told 'don't hold hands with Laura', 'don't sit next to her you might catch eczema' which of course is very hurtful," says Mike Weaver, Laura's dad.
"But adults are worse, you can see people walking through a shopping centre and they're fixated by Laura and they're staring at her."
"Some people will call me names," adds Laura. "It makes me feel sad, I hope that talking about it will help them understand."
'Clean' room has given Laura hopeLaura's condition was so severe last year that she had to be taught in a sterile room in hospital.
But now her school, Wyebridge Sports College in Hereford, has set aside a special 'clean' room for her so that she can interact with friends, then go to the special classroom if her skin has a bad reaction.
"We haven't got any air conditioning in there," says Laura's teacher, Christine Atkinson.
"The carpets are new so there's no dust, we don't use chemicals when we clean it, there are no plastic chairs and the teachers don't wear perfume so it feels safe for her."
The National Eczema Society says one in five schoolchildren suffer from eczema, along with around one in 12 adults.
:: For more information go to www.eczema.org or freephone 0800 089 1122 (Mon- Fri 0800- 2000).
STORY HERE
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