Columns

As both a physician and someone living with sickle cell disease (SCD), I spend a great deal of time reading SCD-related medical literature. Recently, while reviewing several publications, both old and recent, on vaso-occlusive crises, I noticed recurring statements that made me pause: Acute sickle cell pain and vaso-occlusive…

Years ago, I mistook a pulmonary embolism for what I thought was a minor sickle cell disease vaso-occlusive pain crisis, a mistake that could easily have proved fatal. I promised myself afterward that I would never trivialize my symptoms again. As it turns out, that’s easier said than done.

What began as a season of devastating complications, uncertainty, and hopelessness unexpectedly became the pathway to purpose and career diversification for me. Toward the end of 2017, my life changed abruptly. I developed bilateral subchondral fractures in my knees due to complications of sickle cell disease. Almost overnight, I…

One of the hardest things about growing up with sickle cell disease wasn’t the pain. It was the limitations — not just those imposed by the condition itself, but also from other people’s expectations. Like many patients, I grew up hearing what I couldn’t do. The conversations weren’t always…

If you’re like me and have a good medical team, over time, you’ve likely grown attached to them. When you’re fortunate enough to have a competent and consistent team that genuinely cares about your health, those types of relationships matter in ways that go beyond doctor appointments. That type of…

Five years ago, I wasn’t sure I could do this. I remember staring at a blank screen and wondering whether I had anything worth saying. I knew what it felt like to live with sickle cell disease — the pain, the hospital admissions, the exhaustion, the grief. But writing…

Sometimes a childhood memory will return and leave me stunned. Last week, I found myself thinking about a medication I had taken every day for the first 11 years of my life: prednisolone. A doctor had prescribed it when I was about 1 year old, and I continued taking it…

I wasn’t supposed to be writing my next column yet. In fact, I specifically requested that this piece be published on June 19, World Sickle Cell Day. For me, the day is more than an awareness campaign. It is a time to celebrate the resilience, strength, and courage of millions…

Last in a series. Read part one.  As the sickle cell pain crisis crashed through my body, I started gathering everything I needed before eventually becoming bedbound: water, medication, a heating pad, food. In doing so, I realized I’d become a bit complacent. Because I’d been in such…

“Why do you have to write about your health on social media?” My brother asked me that question many years ago in our family WhatsApp group after I started openly discussing my sickle cell disease (SCD) online. At the time, I understood his concern. Many families still associate SCD…