We asked the TSW community what topical steroids have taken from them. These words capture that loss, and remind us why we must come together and turn the tables on TSW.

For the nights I woke bleeding, alone in my bed,
For the tears on my pillow, the fear in my head.
For the body torn open, the pain without peace,
For the itch that consumed me, no hope of release.

For the skin that would split when I smiled or spoke,
For the months I just lay there, trying to cope.
For the food I feared and the water that stung,
For the dreams that were stolen before they'd begun.

For the moments I missed, when I couldn't be near,
For the warmth that was lost with those I hold dear.
For the clothes that clung to the weeping and red,
For the mirror I covered, the words left unsaid.

For the friends who stopped calling, the stares on the street,
For the bonds that were shattered, too fragile to keep.
For the doctors who shrugged and turned me away,
For the prayers that I whispered at break of each day.

For the birthdays alone and the silence so deep,
For the wounds I still carry, too painful to speak.
For the times I begged my own heart to stop,
For the mornings I rose – just to fall, then to drop.

For the souls still trapped in this hot, burning flame,
For the trauma inflicted, medication to blame.
For the voices unheard, the truth pushed aside,
For the harm that goes on – by "experts", denied.

For the ones yet to suffer this cruel, hellish fate,
For the chance to protect them before it's too late.
For the right to be heard, to be seen, to feel whole –
Let's fight to reclaim the life steroids stole.