I have severe atopic eczema since birth and very severe food allergies; I do not know a life without it. My professional career as an ICT manager/consultant ended in 2005 because of other conditions, such as idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, and further complicated by ocular rosacea causing corneal damage and visual impairment. I continued my patient advocacy for the Dutch patient organisation for atopic eczema as much as I could: to give my life meaning. Over the years, I developed myself into a so-called expert patient.My main focus is atopic eczema, but hand eczema and (ocular) rosacea are also of interest. Specific topics are burden of disease, outcome measures, systematic reviews and guideline development, with methodologies/guidance such as COSMIN, Cochrane, AGREEII and GRADE.I have built a network within the dermatology patient community that I can rely on: nationally, European, and globally. Likewise, I feel fortunate to be able to work with renowned eczema health care providers and researchers: nationally, European, and globally.