Her Sickled Journey – Tito Oye

In 2005, my doctors started me on a medication called hydroxycarbamide, also known as hydroxyurea, or “hydra.” It was prescribed to help me manage the symptoms of sickle cell disease. Many people with sickle cell disease use hydroxycarbamide. Before my care plan changed to regular exchange transfusions, I used…

Recently, a fellow sickle cell warrior messaged me on Instagram to ask if I thought they should document their health journey by starting a blog. This is something I will never discourage. I started publicly sharing my health journey with a blog,…

I have a lot of pride when it comes to my general knowledge. I think I am a great person to have on your team when playing board games like Articulate and other general quizzes. You can trust me, I’m not being biased in the slightest. As a kid,…

When I go to my doctors with a problem, I’m never under the impression that it’s something permanent. Rather, I’m usually optimistic that they will offer a solution.  Recently, I have been experiencing pain in my lower back and knees. After a few X-rays and MRI scans,…

For the first time in my life, I played a game of football, or soccer as it’s called in the U.S., with my friends. Was it tiring? Absolutely! Was it fun? Extremely, and I would certainly do it again.  I’ve watched my fair share of football…

Last Wednesday, I received my second and final dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Because I have sickle cell disease, I was among the first groups of people contacted to receive the vaccine due to my high risk of negative outcomes from the novel coronavirus. I…

Sickle cell disease and exercise were antonyms for me growing up. I was raised with the view that they do not go hand in hand. My parents saw how vigorous activity adversely affected my health, so they discouraged it. From primary school to secondary school, I would hand…

I started to shelter at home due to the pandemic in mid-March 2020, and I’m still doing so a year later. I never thought I would be in this position. At the beginning of the nationwide lockdown here in the U.K., most people didn’t know what to…

While sickle cell disease is considered a rare disease, and is recognized each year at the end of February during Rare Disease Day, I personally don’t think of it that way. The reason is because it affects millions of people in one way or another. I believe that…

It’s easier said than done. Everyone always says that health should be a person’s No. 1 priority, but it’s not until push comes to shove that we understand the truth of this. I recently realized that my health was not as much of a priority as I was…

Self-love is so important. I read somewhere that we teach others how to love us through the way we love and treat ourselves.  So, I want to ask you: Do you treat yourself with the love you deserve? Do you expect to be shown love from others? Do…

I am passionate about raising sickle cell disease awareness. Increased awareness leads to a better understanding of the condition, which leads to more conversations about it. I believe that this will lead to conversations among people in positions of power, who can then take action to improve our lives.