Eczema Awareness by Song – Meet Kyle Dine!

November is National Eczema Awareness Month in Canada. We’re continuing to raise awareness via The Eczema Song, which is now available on iTunes! And if you somehow missed the launch of the video last month (for Awareness Month in the US), you can watch it here on YouTube.

I wanted to introduce to you to the extraordinary man behind the lyrics of our song, singer/songwriter, Kyle Dine. And guess what? He has eczema too! This Canadian has been making magic happen at schools all across North America for years with his fun, but educational musical performances about food allergies. This year he released his first DVD based on these shows. The DVDs will help Kyle reach many more children and schools around the world by offering translations in multiple different languages. How cool is that?!

Here’s a little Q&A we were honored to do with Kyle:

ILW: Kyle, you’ve told us that you had eczema as a child and it’s continued through adulthood. As someone who had eczema as a child, is there anything you’d like to tell your parents about how you felt back then vs now? Any frustrations? Anything you wish you or your parents had done differently.

KD: I would like to thank them for all that they did to help me with my eczema. I had a lot of flare-ups as an infant and most of my baby pictures show either rashes or oily skin. It seems that no “one size fits all” treatment exists, with even fewer options in the mid-1980’s, and I imagine it wasn’t easy on them! They were pro-active with solutions and things eventually got better by the time I was in school. I’m happy that they worked with my doctor to find the best treatment plan for me

 

ILW: Did you learn anything new about eczema while you were doing research for the The Eczema Song?

KD: I learned better ways of managing my own eczema, which I still have in a few spots to this day. Things such as when to apply my creams were eye-opening as I realized there were more effective practices. My eczema was very bad as a toddler, and has luckily been very mild ever since. The song research process helped me take my own condition more seriously going forward. I was also amazed by the sheer amount of products available to help people with eczema.

 

ILW: What did you find most challenging about writing this song?

KD: Even though it’s a condition I am affected by, I found it difficult finding the overall message of the song. As it’s something that I have not taken as seriously as my food allergies or asthma, I started writing the song with many novelty lines about itching etc. I really enjoyed working with you, Jennifer Roberge, as you helped me see how much kids truly struggle with eczema and need a boost with using their creams, and feeling empowered. This helped shape the tune to have very powerful message while maintaining a fun and light vibe.

 

ILW: What do you hope all the amazing children with eczema take away from the song?

KD: Just like the song says “I’m strong and I won’t let it win.” I think the main takeaway from this song is that this is a manageable condition and that kids can play an active part in the process. By being compliant with applying their creams and following other procedures, they feel like they are a part of the solution. This song helps to reinforce that and make them feel special. It was a privilege to help write a song for all these brave kids!

 

Thank you so much Kyle!!!!

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