Presidents Profile
Cheryl Talent
President, Eczema Association of Australasia Inc
 Cheryl Talent, President of the Eczema Association of Australasia Inc has been an eczema sufferer for most of her life, starting when she was just a few days old. Born in Melbourne, she moved to Queensland in her late 30's and became involved with the Association in 1997 after having the worst flare-up of eczema since she was a baby.
Her involvement in the EAA has provided the education and tools to enable her to keep her eczema mostly manageable and she believes that this is the key for most eczema sufferers. She is also passionate about the EAA's role in helping eczema sufferers and their carers towards a better quality of life and being an understanding listener when things get too much.
The Eczema Association of Australasia Inc (EAA) (originally coined the Eczema Support Group) was started in January, 1994. It was the first eczema organisation of its kind in Australasia offering information and support to people with eczema and their carers. What began as a morning tea for eczema sufferers and their carers in Cleveland, Brisbane, has since grown into an organisation servicing more than 1,000 members Australasia-wide, and as far abroad as Hong Kong and New Zealand.
The not-for-profit Eczema Association of Australasia Inc is one of only three similar groups world-wide. It is governed by a Committee of Management that aims to support and educate eczema sufferers and their carers, along with the wider community, in all aspects of eczema and its impact. Its mission statement is to "improve life for those involved with eczema through community representation and education". It subscribes to the motto "be eczema educated."
The organisation has also formed a Skin Condition Information Service (SCIS) comprising skin condition support groups such as the Alopecia Support Group NSW, Lupus Association of NSW, Scleroderma Association of NSW and Queensland and the Coeliac Society of Australasia.
The organisation offers its members extensive counselling and support, free product samples, an optional patient and carer social register, information sheets on a wide range of topics, quarterly newsletters featuring helpful hints, information on the latest treatments & products on the market, and members' letters, as well as access to Australasia's leading Health Professionals, including Dermatologists and Natural Therapists.
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