"Right now I'm a walking billboard of hope for a lot people," LeAnn says of the approximately seven million other Americans currently living with psoriasis, according to the National Institutes of Health. "A lot of people think psoriasis is just a skin disorder, but it's an immune disease that can affect the joints and the nails, and it has been linked to obesity, heart disease and depression."

As a woman who spent many years hiding her psoriasis, LeAnn understands the emotional and physical pain of the condition. "I think psoriasis can be incredibly debilitating mentally," she says. "It's so hard not to hide. The main thing is [that] we need to stop letting it control our lives and really get out and enjoy life again. There is treatment. Don't lose hope, don't hide, and don't stop living your life."

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