Focus on Morelia

Ecz-motto: Comfortable in my skin.
Get the shirt – unisex sizing, women’s sizing.

I’m a college freshman who enjoys dancing hula.

My name is Morelia Chavez but I also go by Mori. I’m 17 and from SoCal and I’m currently a college freshman studying linguistics. I’ve been studying and dancing traditional Hawaiian hula for about 8-9 years now and I was on my high school’s wrestling team. I’ve also completed the Los Angeles Marathon twice – in 2017 and 2018.

I’ve had moderate to severe atopic dermatitis since the beginning of my childhood.

When I was 4 years old, I was diagnosed with eczema. Throughout my childhood, my eczema was moderate; mainly on my elbows and knees. However, my skin reached its most severe point my freshman year of high school (2018-2019). My eczema spread everywhere on my body and was the worst on my feet, legs and wrists. I felt ashamed of my skin and I would often hide it away. During my freshman year, I joined my high school’s wrestling team which was a challenge due to my eczema. That summer, I attended my first Eczema Expo and I made great supportive friends and learned about new medications to help improve my condition, and about a month later, I started Dupixent. Since then, my skin and itch have gotten so much better and consequently, the quality of my life has improved greatly. Having eczema has taught me patience, consistency and that things do truly get better.

When I was in elementary school, my classmate told me my eczema was gross.

In fourth grade, I was eating lunch with one of my classmates when I pulled up my right long-sleeve to reveal my elbow eczema. She said something along the lines of my skin being disgusting or gross which made me feel terrible about myself. Since then, I’ve grown, and I now normalize my eczema. When people ask or have concerns about my skin, I use it as an opportunity to educate them.