Humanitarian, entrepreneur and scientist, Asal Shirazi BEM, Founder of Autoimmune Support and Awareness Foundation, is judging the Page Turner Book Award and hoping to discover some great new talented authors.
Asal is also a mother who has fought back from devastating illness to turn her life around. On top of that, Asal is a public speaker, mentor and motivator.
Diagnosed with rare autoimmune condition Diffuse Systemic Scleroderma in 2005 and given just six months to live, she faced terminal illness as a single mum – as well as a financial ruin following the breakdown of her marriage.
Despite her ordeal, Asal refused to go under, and instead, she painstakingly set out to rebuild her life and career. Her condition, which severely affects the skin and organs, meant she was used to regular hospitalisation, and it was while meeting other chronically ill patients that her idea to create remedies for those with similar disorders was born.
Having previously studied medicine and law, and with qualifications in aromatherapy and holistic skincare, Asal used her knowledge to develop Jeunvie, which launched in 2013 and is now one of the world’s leading, multi-award-winning organic skincare ranges. Containing more than 70 natural ingredients and essential oils, the hydrating chemical-free products are suitable for anyone with sensitive or allergy-prone skin, as well as those with more serious skin conditions.
In 2018, Asal launched Essentiel Vie, a skincare collection for mums and babies, which is also made entirely from fruit extracts, essential oils and select botanical ingredients. Suitable for all skin types, the products are approved and recommended by Dr Nadia Yousri, Fellow of Royal College of Gynaecologists & Obstetricians.
Now a mother of five, Asal was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) in 2019 in recognition of her phenomenal work. Although her condition is still life-limiting, her longstanding passion for medical research means she and her team continue to build an understanding of the power of plants, while she has also consulted for the BBC about environmental factors on a range of health issues.
She has been ghostwriting for various National publications and has been a Contributor to celebrity publications such as Live to 100 with Dr Hilary Jones.
Asal has been a health and wellbeing columnist for Chiswick Herald and Chiswick Woman magazine. She is a published author under a pen name and is recently a columnist for a national newspaper.
Asal loves to read. Appreciating all genres apart from science fiction.
As well as writing, she has been a regular Honorary lecturer to postgraduate medical students at the University of Florida for the past ten years.
"I'm looking forward to something that captivates my imagination and has me clinging on for more! I want to be immersed in the story and characters...The storyline and characters need to get me stimulated and thinking!"
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