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Being a caregiver for my cherished little cousin, who’s battling the physical and emotional challenges of sickle cell, is an enormous responsibility, both rewarding and sometimes completely overwhelming. Seeing her endure not only the difficulties of her illness, but also the callous cruelty of bullying at school is…

First in a series. Love and relationships can significantly affect the lives of people with sickle cell disease. A good relationship can contribute to improved mental and physical health, while a bad relationship may lead to the opposite. Unfortunately, finding love can be challenging for people with sickle cell,…

For the past few days, I’ve been thinking about learned behavior. For example, why do I speak the way I do? Why do I respond to specific cues the way I do? Upon reflection, much of it stems from my environment, how I was raised, and with whom I interacted…

It’s always frustrating to miss an event that you’ve been looking forward to for a long time — especially when it’s for reasons out of your control. Due to a sickle cell crisis, my little cousin Ada, who has sickle cell disease, was unable to attend her best…

In 2006, the World Health Organization recognized sickle cell disease as a global public health problem. Sickle cell is not just a genetic blood condition, but a multisystem disease that can damage organs and shorten life spans. Moderate or severe forms can be especially virulent. While some…

For me, one of the worst parts of having sickle cell disease, aside from the horrific, debilitating pain of a crisis, is navigating the emergency department here in the U.K, where I live. I appreciate that it’s a high-pressure work environment that brings heavy responsibility, and it…

It took me a while to realize that intense emotions can lead me to a sickle cell crisis. Most of my health professionals never mentioned it when educating me about crisis triggers. From what I’ve learned as a physician, emotional triggers aren’t researched or documented enough. Hence, the…

Smile, be polite, be eloquent, and watch your tone to ensure others feel comfortable. These are my thoughts during daily interactions. Unfortunately, because of the negative preconceptions about Black men, my day-to-day is centered around putting others at ease. I often have to code-switch or behave in a more…

I recently got a new manager at work, which has improved my quality of life as a disabled worker. This change also instigated the creation of an emergency evacuation plan for me, and that change I question. To be clear, I’m not a wheelchair user, but I occasionally use…

Reserved, calm, and quiet are adjectives that have been used to describe me at some point, and I’d say they’re pretty accurate. I usually step out of my shell only when I’m around people I’m comfortable with or in a one-on-one situation. In group settings, I tend to be more…