Shaniqua’s Sickle Chronicles – a Column by Mary Shaniqua

Mary is a 30-year-old London-based sickle cell patient using her experiences to build up others and raise awareness of what it’s like to live with a rare disease.

The importance of self-care in managing sickle cell disease

In popular culture, self-care often seems to be equated with indulgence or luxury, such as spa visits, retail therapy, or fine dining. But I believe this perception is flawed, and that buying into it does people a disservice. Essentially, self-care involves looking after and prioritizing our physical, spiritual, mental, and…

Reforming areas of coverage for ambulance services in the UK

Continuing the spirit of offering suggestions to make the healthcare experience more efficient for patients and the National Health Service (NHS) here in the U.K., I want to address the restrictions governing which hospitals ambulances can take patients to. My previous two columns have detailed how the need…

How community nursing could benefit sickle cell patients

Many sickle cell patients spend a lot of time in the hospital. As inpatients, our symptoms are treated, and as outpatients, our lives are monitored to keep our condition as controlled as possible. However, frequent hospital visits can be highly disruptive and hinder our ability to maintain a…