Cohen's Care for Hydrotherapy

Cohen was born on the 8-8-2008 the luckiest day in the millennium.

Cohen suffers from Atopic Dermatitis a skin condition also known as atopic eczema. It results in itchy, red, swollen skin. At 6 weeks old it started attacking his body and since the first hospital admission they have had 32 hospital overnighters and some of the longest stays lasting 10 days at the children’s ward in isolation at the Gold Coast Hospital due to a highly contagious secondary infection. This is because Cohen’s skins breaks due to the dryness which allows infections to seep into his blood steam.

At 8 years old Cohen can barely walk. Some days his tiny little body is so inflamed, with his skin so tight it cracks when he stands stretching the skin. He has to be carried a lot of the time as he is so fatigued. He barely sleeps at night with waking at least 4 times a night and for extended periods to scratch just to feel relief from the constant itch and pain.
Cohen is currently under the care of a physcologist to help deal with the emotional and mental scarring that any child going through this would need to deal with. Up until recently Cohen has been able to handle his predicament and take life in his stride, however after experiencing some bullying last year surrounding his skin and his condition the upbeat personality has diminished and with it his quality of life. He is unable to ride his bike or even participate in any sporting activity for too long as this flares the itch and increases the daily fatigue we all struggle with.

As a family they have tried everything to tackle our situation they have seen naturopaths, biomedical doctors, chiropractors, kineaseologist, LED therapist, nutritionist and while they all improve his condition temporarily his skin is soon ravaged within a few short weeks.

They now see the head of allergy and immunology in Brisbane at The Lady Cilento hospital every 12 weeks. Even the top doctors are at a loss for Cohen and his next option is to be admitted for Chemotherapy, then to continue with medication which require weekly blood tests. At 8 years old this a decision his parents, Carlee and Andrew did not want to be faced with.

We are now turning our hope to the healing hydrotherapy clinic in Avene FRANCE. The Avene clinic has been in practice for over 20 years and is run by a team of specialist medical staff and dermatologists.

The Avene Clinic uses spring water that melts from the alps and resurfaces in a spring. The healing water is used to externally hydrate and heal from the inside out. The water itself has a very consistent composition, which reduces inflammation and provides anti-irritant properties that literally feeds the skin and assist in healing. Treatment at the Avene clinic is specifically tailored to each patient and can last up to 21 days all of which is guided by dermatologists.

Some of Cohen’s friends at the The Lady Cilento hospital have received treatment at The Avene clinic and received astonishing results. There has been a lot of press covering this clinic and how it is healing many patients with the use of hydrotherapy, recently ACA did a story on a little girl Chrissy and the benefits she received.

Imagine knowing you could cure your child’s pain, but the only thing that was stopping you was being able to afford the treatment. Please help us support Cohen by donating to the cost of treatment and travel for Carlee and Cohen to get to The Avene Clinic in France. If we raise enough funds they can depart as early as October to receive treatment. Treatment last for 21days and they are required to do 3 cycles.