"Walk a mile in their shoes"

For some this is easier said than done. Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) is a rare skin disease which causes rapid blistering of the skin at varying degrees of severity. More mild forms of the disease cause painful blisters if an area of skin receives too much friction. Other, more severe, forms may cause severing scarring, or even the skin to fall off an affected area. The more severe form of the disease is at times fatal to infants.

Aside from painful, if EB is anything it is heartbreaking. A mother must resist cuddling her child for fear of causing blistering. A toddler's feet are wrapped in bandages for walking too many steps at the zoo. A girl crawls--hands and knees--to the bathroom because walking hurts to much.

So far no cure for the debilitating disease has been found. However, it is encouraging to see awareness being raised by those in visible positions.

Courteney Cox and her husband David Arquette have pledged to raise 1 million dollars in just two weeks to support EB research. "EB is very personal to me so I'm happy to be part of this $1 million challenge," she said. Cox is reaching out to other fellow celebrities such as Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, Jennifer Aniston, and Kate Beckinsale to garner support. Because the disease is rare, awareness is low as is funding for research. The former Friends co-star also said, "now is such an important time to put a spotlight on EB and ensure that research can continue at a fast pace."

It is encouraging and reassuring to see this rare disease getting some time in the spotlight. Knowing five people living with EB, I have personally witnessed the heartbreak that it can cause. This is something that can't be researched too fast.

So the next time you hear someone complain using the adage, "try walking a mile in my shoes," think of those EB patients out there. To "walk a mile" in the shoes of one of them would mean to give up the ability to walk for the next several days or possibly worse.