Columns

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…

Over the past month, Nigeria, where I live, has witnessed several painful losses. One that shook many people was the death of a popular actor, reportedly due to metastatic kidney cancer. News of his death spread quickly across the entertainment industry and on social media. Many Nigerians admired him for…

After completing my finals and passing my clinical comprehensive exam last week, I now have the opportunity to reflect on my third year as a clinical psychology doctoral student. I began writing this column at the start of the school year, and looking back at my previous columns, I realized…

It has been quite some time since I was last here. For that, I owe you an apology. The silence, though sudden, was necessary. The past few months have been among the most difficult of my life, and navigating them while living with sickle cell disease has been,…

Recently, I doubted I’d be able to write this column. My knees had become swollen, immovable, and painfully untouchable. The slightest movement sent sharp pain through my body. Just sitting up was difficult, let alone writing. The episode began with malaria, which I had treated the previous week. Soon after,…