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We recently experienced a heat wave here in the U.K., where temperatures climbed as high as 32 C (89.6 F). Those of you from hotter parts of the world may look at this laugh, but the U.K. is not built for this type of heat. Homes, made of brick,…

It has started … the period I have been uncertain about. Restrictions are starting to ease.  I have been shielding for over three months, during which my employer placed me on the furlough scheme. Many people across the country are in a similar scenario during this lockdown.

We celebrated World Blood Donor Day on June 14. It reminded me that blood donors are a heavily relied upon and greatly anonymous source of support all over the world. If blood donations did not exist, medicine as we know it would be so different; the whole system would…

Whenever I meet new people and tell them I have sickle cell disease (and explain what it is), they often ask how they can help. June 19 is World Sickle Cell Awareness Day, so I thought it appropriate to discuss ways that you can help the sickle cell community,…

June 19 is World Sickle Cell Day, and I have been reflecting a lot on my life with sickle cell. From a young age, I was always encouraged to keep my diagnosis hush-hush. People would only know I had sickle cell if they needed to know.

I recently was admitted to the hospital during a sickle cell crisis and because of suspected COVID-19. My experience was harrowing. I have experienced many things as a sickle cell disease patient. I have had pneumonia more frequently than I can remember, suffered collapsed lungs, had deep vein…

Small veins and sickle cell are never a good mix. As luck would have it, I have both! From an early age, I associated my health with injections. I would beg not to be taken to the hospital to treat a crisis, as I knew I would be treated…

Dealing with sickle cell disease is a constant battle. In every moment, I either am fighting my way out of a painful crisis or fighting to stay out of a crisis. There is no rest. I can’t take my foot off the gas. I can’t decide one…

Living with sickle cell disease, I rely on several medications and treatments for various situations. In general, I take medications for my own well-being, as research shows that sickle cell patients who struggle to comply with medication regimens tend to experience a lower quality of life. Ergo, to have…

My parents knew they were carriers of the sickle cell trait before I was born, so they made an effort to find out if I had the disease during the prenatal stages of my mother’s pregnancy. Once they found out I had it, plans and preparations were made to…