I was hospitalized on March 3 with a sickle cell crisis and discharged 12 days later. I then spent a week recovering at home. Under normal circumstances, I would have returned to “ordinary life” on March 23. But during that period, ordinary life changed significantly due to the…
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As a sickle cell advocate, many people have come to me for advice, especially in this pandemic period. Those with sickle cell want all sorts of advice during the coronavirus outbreak but accurate information is not as readily available as we are used to. Nobody likes…
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The Isolation Diaries
On March 16, 2020, United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, vulnerable citizens should shield themselves for 12 weeks. My instant reaction was utter shock. How could I feasibly spend the next 12 weeks inside my house? It’s been two weeks…
The spread of the coronavirus means that those of us with sickle cell disease need to be extremely cautious. We have all been advised to practice social distancing. I have been in my house for a week now and have become bored due to my lack of routine. So…
Swimming is an essential life skill. Everyone should learn to swim, as it could be the difference between life and death. My parents believed similarly and signed me up for swimming lessons as a child. However, I don’t remember the lessons so much as the pain and frequent hospital admissions.
If someone asked you to tell your life story, what would you say? We all have a story. Some might begin by describing their life from the point of meeting their partner, or from high school, or perhaps following the birth of their child. We remember and retell our stories…
I rarely leave London, but this weekend I went on a mini “staycation” to Kent with 24 of my friends for a birthday celebration. Packing We rented a mansion on Airbnb with enough space for the 25 of us, though I was not sure what the environment in the house…
Many things can trigger a sickle cell crisis. The first triggers I experienced ranged from temperature changes in my environment to dehydration. But as I got older, I began to experience a new trigger that took me by surprise: stress. The Oxford dictionary defines stress as a “state…
Fatigue is a common symptom associated with sickle cell disease. Due to the smaller size of our red blood cells, we cannot carry as much oxygen as those with healthier red blood cells. This leads to a lack of oxygen in our bodies and, ultimately, fatigue. Fatigue describes the feeling…
Living with sickle cell disease is not easy. It affects every area of one’s life. An important part of managing the challenges that come with the disease is having a solid support system. I do not have any close friends with sickle cell, but I…
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