Latest news with #SallyDaly
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Mum spends $10,000 on painful condition affecting millions of Aussies: 'Face swollen shut'
Just three months into her first pregnancy, Sally Daly suddenly developed a painful and itchy skin condition. What started out as a 'slow-growing rash' soon spread and by the time she was due to give birth, it had 'taken over' her entire body. Over the next few years, the Perth mum told Yahoo News Australia she spent around $10,000 and countless hours seeking out specialists and treatments to help cure her chronic health problem — eczema. Close to three million Aussies are affected by eczema, including one in three children under the age of six, according to the Murdoch Children's Research Institute. The country has one of the highest rates in the world for multiple reasons, including the local climate, Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler said late last year during a press conference about the debilitating condition, which dermatologists argue can have a huge impact on a person's quality of life. After developing eczema for the first time, Sally said she spent months 'trying every natural remedy' she could find but nothing helped ease the pain or halt its spread. 'Eventually, I saw a GP, who was hesitant to prescribe steroid creams while I was pregnant,' the 38-year-old told Yahoo. 'She referred me to a dermatologist who didn't do any tests — just took one look and said, 'It's eczema. Use steroid cream twice a week and taper off.' 'That 'short-term' solution ended up becoming a near-daily routine for almost two years.' A few months before her son's first birthday in September, 2022 Sally decided to stop using steroids to treat the condition. However, the move didn't make the problem any better. 'That's when my nightmare began,' Sally said. 'One night, I woke up with my face swollen shut, my skin weeping and red, looking like it had been scorched. I had severe shakes, couldn't see properly, and my whole body felt like it was burning.' 🌳 Workers spotted painting roadside tree in trend sweeping Australia 🧠 Aussie family's remarkable bravery after baby girl's tragic diagnosis 🔥 Mum's warning after camping accident leaves daughter with severe burns After reporting to hospital, Sally claimed she was sent home with antihistamines but no answers. Desperate for a solution, the 38-year-old said she turned to online support groups and quickly learned about topical steroid withdrawal (TSW), otherwise known as topical corticosteroid (TCS) withdrawal, which can occur after prolonged use. 'It all made sense. Every horrific symptom matched what I was going through,' she told Yahoo. 'At my worst, my husband had to take long service leave just to care for our son because I couldn't. I couldn't dress myself, couldn't pick up my baby, couldn't even be touched. 'My body was raw, flaking, oozing. I was so self-conscious I didn't want to sleep in the same bed as my partner. I was suicidal at one point. I truly felt like this was going to be my forever, and even advertised for a 'TSW buddy'.' Eventually, Sally said a naturopath informed her she had pyroluria, which depleted her natural levels of zinc and B6. 'She also identified food intolerances and high steroid levels still in my system. She put me on a tailored protocol – high-dose supplements, homeopathics, no moisture therapy. It was incredibly hard, but things slowly started to improve,' the mum said. Sally said she got some relief from the burning and dryness using MooGoo eczema and psoriasis creams. Six months on, Sally said she is walking again and is now able to go outside and play with her son. 'My skin is still dry at times — possibly due to winter – but I no longer feel like I'm living in a constant emergency. My mental health has done a full 180. 'If I could tell people one thing, it's that eczema isn't 'just a rash'. TSW is real, devastating, and completely life-altering. But there is a way through it. It's slow. It's hard, but healing is possible.' Melody Livingstone, MooGoo CEO, told Yahoo the company has 'definitely seen an increase' in the number of people contacting them directly about their struggles with TSW. 'It's heartening that the Australasian College of Dermatologists now acknowledges TSW, and groups such as the National Eczema Society and British Association of Dermatologists are calling for greater awareness and investigation,' she said. 'Recovering from Topical Steroid Withdrawal requires a gentle and holistic approach to soothe irritated skin and repair the skin barrier. Maintaining proper hydration is crucial, and discontinuing topical steroids should only be done under the guidance of a healthcare professional.' Recovery requires a gentle and holistic approach to soothe irritated skin and repair the skin barrier People wanting or considering to stop steroid usage should discuss it with their specialist first Maintain proper hydration Remove harsh cleansers and soaps, replacing them with gentler options Use a moisturiser with gentle and hydrating ingredients that don't contain irritants such as petroleum-based ingredients, parabens or phenoxyethanol A thicker, barrier cream with ceramides is a good option as an additional step to lock in moisture and provide extra support in keeping irritants out of the broken you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Incorrect ballots given to some Skokie voters
Ahead of municipal elections on Tuesday, Village of Skokie officials announced that some residents received incorrect ballots listing the names of candidates outside of their trustee district. This is the first time voters will elect district trustees in the village, after voters in a 2022 election approved this new geographically representative form of village government. Officials from the village and Cook County dispute what, or who, caused the error. A village spokesperson said Skokie provided Cook County with accurate and timely trustee maps, and that the error occurred in that office. A county spokesperson said Skokie officials provided inaccurate boundary information to the Cook County Clerk's Office, the chief election authority in suburban Cook County. 'The Cook County Clerk's Office was required to send out corrected mail ballots for two districts in Skokie after local officials provided inaccurate boundary information to the Clerk's Office for those districts,' Sally Daly, the deputy clerk of communications for the County Clerk's office, told Pioneer Press in an email. 'The (Cook County) Clerk's Office was not informed of this error until March 17, the first day of Early Voting,' Daly said. The Clerk's office contacted the 50 voters who had voted on faulty ballots and provided them corrected replacement ballots the day after they voted on the incorrect ballots, she said, 'with a letter informing them that due to the re-districting done by the Village of Skokie for the newly created districts, that they had been incorrectly placed in the wrong district. These voters were instructed to return the new ballot and to disregard the one that had previously been sent.' The Clerk's Office also immediately corrected the ballot information on Early Voting equipment at all election precincts that were impacted, she added. As a result, no votes were disqualified, she said. Patrick Deignan, the village's director of communications and community engagement, said in an email, 'The Village contracted with outside counsel, Klein, Thorpe & Jenkins, which provided accurate trustee district boundary descriptions to Cook County. The village confirmed with the county that the ordinance and district maps that were filed with the county were accurate. Deignan continued, 'The error occurred in the Cook County Election Board's office, and the Election Board has assured the village that it has corrected its error.' On Tuesday, voters will elect four district trustees, one for each of four districts, and two at-large trustees for the whole village. This hybrid approach to representation on the Village Board was implemented as a result of a series of election referenda approved by Skokie voters in 2022. According to a news release uploaded to the village's website on March 29, Skokie Clerk Minal Desai became aware of at least two incorrect ballots when early voting began on March 17. The ballots allowed Skokie residents that live in District 2 to vote for a District 3 trustee. Mayor George Van Dusen, Village Manager John Lockerby and Corporation Counsel Michael Lorge and outside counsel also knew of the incorrect ballots and implored the Cook County Election Board to correct the ballots, per the news release. Deignan said the incorrect ballot reports came from Skokie residents who live near a trustee district boundary. He added that the village requested the county to provide affected residents with corrected ballots, as well as a letter informing those residents of the error. The Cook County Clerk's office is still expected to be able to provide accurate and timely election results Tuesday night, Deignan said. Desai did not respond to multiple requests for comment on Monday. Deignan did not immediately respond to Pioneer Press's inquiry about Daly's comments. The ballot gaffe has created political fodder for candidates who are running for Skokie clerk, including Desai, who is running after she was appointed clerk in 2024. Naema Abraham, a current school board member for Niles Township High School District 219 and village clerk candidate, posted on her Facebook page March 28 that the village clerk is responsible for verifying the district trustee maps, and that the current clerk's failure to do so caused the blunder in the ballots. 'These errors reflect a serious lack of diligence and preparedness. Skokie residents deserve a village clerk who is proactive, accurate and accountable — someone who ensures every vote is counted properly and every voter receives correct information,' she posted. James Johnson, a current Skokie trustee who is running for the village clerk position, posted the following on their Facebook page March 28. 'From my understanding, this mistake was entirely avoidable. District map allocations were sent to the village in December 2024, but the village clerk's office did not adequately review this information or respond with any corrections until Early Voting had already begun.' 'As the initiator of Skokie's new 'hybrid' electoral system, which combines at-large and district-based Trustee positions for the first time, I am disappointed by this error in an otherwise excellent implementation process.'
