In this episode of Life With a Difference, I’m joined by Holly Lloyd, who has lived with eczema since infancy and, over the last year, experienced a level of severity that most people simply don’t understand.

Holly’s story is hard, but it’s also incredibly practical, because she shares an emergency pathway that helped her access specialist dermatology care when things became unsafe.

00:00 Intro, why Holly’s story matters
00:09 Meet Holly, lifelong eczema and how 2025 escalated
01:03 Childhood eczema, bandages, then “growing out of it”
02:05 Eczema returns in her 20s, spread, and moving beyond topicals
03:22 The last 6 months, full body decline, rapid overnight flares
04:38 No sleep, severe inflammation, repeated infections
05:14 Why “eczema” gets minimised, the extreme end people don’t see
08:03 When Holly knew it wasn’t normal anymore
09:27 Complex case clinic, advocating hard, still no proper escalation
11:17 Moving back with her mum, surviving becomes “normal”
13:14 Private vs NHS routes, and how to push for specialist care
14:23 Holly researches Guy’s and St Thomas’, planning to self refer
15:56 The difference at Guy’s and St Thomas’, “human” and thorough
16:14 The emergency pathway, walking into A and E
16:33 Local hospital admissions, why it felt unsafe and insufficient
17:48 What went wrong in general hospital care
20:39 Discharged because blood markers looked “okay”
21:33 Why severe skin needs a real emergency pathway
23:19 Holly’s decision, taxi to St Thomas’ A and E
25:07 Rapid decline in the waiting room, admitted by 3am
27:04 The scary part, tick box medicine and missed urgency
29:31 Guy’s vs St Thomas’, how the hospitals work together
31:49 What happened after admission, being properly supported
32:17 Consultants travel over, “show us more”, thorough investigations
33:44 Patient lodge + dermatology day care clinic
35:24 The key takeaway, if you’re severe, this pathway exists
36:43 Being a mum, weighing risks, needing a break to survive
39:01 The mental health reality, severe eczema can be life threatening
40:32 Treatments tried and what’s next
46:10 Ongoing weekly follow ups, proper monitoring
47:24 Why care and practical support changes everything
49:42 If Holly ran the NHS, what needs to change
54:18 Sharing pathways, reach out, community support
55:08 Where to find Holly, and her offer to help others
56:47 Message to carers and supporters
57:17 Closing thoughts

We talk about:
• What severe, full body eczema can actually look and feel like
• Repeated infections, loss of mobility, and the mental toll of living in constant fear of the next flare
• Why “eczema” is often minimised, even when someone is genuinely in crisis
• The difference between standard hospital care and specialist dermatology teams
• The emergency route Holly used to access Guy’s and St Thomas’ care
• The value of dermatology day care and what real support looks like when you are too unwell to care for yourself
• Treatment decision making when you have tried everything and you are just trying to get your life back

If you are living with severe eczema and feel stuck, please know you are not alone, and you deserve proper care.

Holly on Instagram: @HollyLloydskin

Social media:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lifewithadifferencepodcast/
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@lifewithadifference
Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-collinson/

Please get in touch if I can help in any way

Blog:
https://www.lifewithadifference.info/

buymeacoffee.com/lifewithadifference

Gary Parsons (as seen on Channel 4’s Love My Face) talks candidly about Bell’s palsy, facial paralysis, mental health, and what it really takes to live uninhibited.

We dig into the show’s mission, representation in the media, the gaps in NHS support (especially psychological care), practical roadmaps for patients and carers, and how advocacy and community can lighten the mental load of a long-term condition.

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:50 Gary’s story & Bell’s palsy
03:20 Inside Love My Face (Channel 4)
08:05 The show’s mission & impact
14:20 Causes, bilateral paralysis & anxiety of recurrence
19:15 Treatments, surgery, physio & Botox
24:10 Self-acceptance vs. the search for a “cure”
31:00 Advocacy, mental health & speaking from the “scar”
40:30 NHS experiences & the case for psychological support
48:20 A practical roadmap for patients & carers
52:05 Living uninhibited & owning your identity
1:05:00 Gary’s projects, Changing Faces, and where to find him

Resources mentioned
• Changing Faces UK (support & representation)
• Facial Palsy UK (guidance, clinics, rehab tips)

Connect with Gary
Website: garyparsons.uk
Social: @GaryParsonsUK

If this helped you, please like 👍, subscribe, and share with anyone navigating visible difference, facial palsy, or long-term skin conditions. Your support helps more people find these conversations.

#BellsPalsy #FacialParalysis #VisibleDifference #LoveMyFace #ChangingFaces #MentalHealth #SelfAcceptance #Dermatology #Advocacy #Channel4 #PatientVoice #ChronicIllness #UKNHS

Social media:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lifewithadifferencepodcast/
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@lifewithadifference
Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-collinson/

Please get in touch if I can help in any way

Blog:
https://www.lifewithadifference.info/

buymeacoffee.com/lifewithadifference

I am a huge believer in A Life in a Day's ability to create a world with more empathy, understanding and ultimately concession for patients. Our missions completely align and I very much look forward to supporting Mark and the team in any way I can.

In this sponsored episode of Life With a Difference, I’m joined by Mark Doyle, founder of A Life in a Day, an immersive learning experience designed to help people working in healthcare walk in the shoes of someone living with a health condition for 24 hours.

We talk about how the concept began, how the experience is built using a combination of an interactive app, live phone calls with actors, and a physical kit, and why it can create a level of empathy and understanding that is hard to achieve through conversation alone.

Mark also shares how A Life in a Day developed its first therapy areas, from Crohn’s disease to heart failure and oncology, and what the team has learned about doing this work ethically by starting with patient stories first. We discuss the balance between realism and sensitivity, how they validate experiences with lived experience and medical professionals, and what meaningful outcomes can look like, from shifts in mindset to practical changes in trial design, communication, and patient support.

If you work in healthcare, pharma, medical education, research delivery or simply want your team to have a higher level of empathy and you’re curious about building deeper patient understanding that leads to better outcomes, this conversation is for you.

Sponsor disclosure
This episode is sponsored by A Life in a Day. Sponsorship supports the production of Life With a Difference, but does not influence editorial content or guest perspectives.

Learn more about A Life in a Day
Website: https://alifeinaday.co.uk
You can also find Mark and the team on LinkedIn. A Life in a Day run regular virtual taster sessions to give a short interactive introduction to how the experience works.

00:00 Intro
00:09 Mark Doyle introduces himself and A Life in a Day
00:48 How Andy and Mark connected at Patients as Partners
01:37 What A Life in a Day is, mission and purpose
02:25 Andy’s experience, why it isn’t gimmicky, emotional impact
03:33 Where the idea came from, how it started (2016)
04:56 First conditions, Crohn’s disease, then heart failure and oncology
06:30 Capturing the real grit, ethics, starting with patient stories
09:18 How the experience works, app, calls, kit, wearables, sensations
13:40 Why 24 hours matters, challenges across work, home, relationships
14:08 Challenges growing a unique product, access and funding for HCPs
16:21 Measuring success, learning, actions, and ROI for organisations
18:13 What changes after the experience, workshops and implementation
20:28 If funding was unlimited, reaching clinicians and students globally
32:53 Conditions that surprise people most, asthma, obesity, diabetes
35:09 Severity spectrum and why names can mislead public understanding
36:23 Empathy as a driver for action and change
37:32 Why patients often don’t have space to tell the full story
39:01 Why living it beats hearing it, the next step in advocacy
40:31 Five-year vision, making it part of healthcare education
42:14 How to get involved, taster sessions, website and LinkedIn
43:12 Closing thanks


Social media:
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lifewithadifferencepodcast/
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@lifewithadifference
Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-collinson/

Please get in touch if I can help in any way

Blog:
https://www.lifewithadifference.info/

buymeacoffee.com/lifewithadifference