Shaniqua’s Sickle Chronicles
— Mary Shaniqua

When I’m running workshops for children with sickle cell disease who are transitioning into adult care, I always include a parent segment to teach them how to train their children to advocate for themselves. For patients living with sickle cell disease, including me, advocacy becomes an…

I celebrated yet another birthday last week. I love birthdays. As someone living with sickle cell disease and the difficulties it brings, I’ve learned that life is fickle. Therefore, it’s important to be grateful for every year and to celebrate the gift of life. A celebration doesn’t always have…

Every now and then, something happens that motivates me to educate others about how a particular action, policy, or system is oppressive to me, as a Black woman with sickle cell disease. It’s always a difficult conversation, but almost always necessary — in many cases for societal equity. This…

The sickle cell community needs unity if we are ever going to see change. A few weeks back, I came across someone trying to start a charity for sickle cell patients. Ordinarily, you would think that as a sickle cell patient, I would find this heartwarming. But I had…

Last week, I shared news of my most recent hospital admission for sickle cell disease. One of the by-products of a sudden hospitalization is the interruption to my social life, family life, and work life. Because of ableism and discrimination, navigating the workplace as a disabled employee…

If you’re a regular reader of this column, you probably noticed I’ve been silent for a few weeks. Unfortunately, I had a sickle cell crisis and was hospitalized. The good news is that I’ve been discharged and am home, where I’m progressing toward full recovery. The other news…

I recently shared my thoughts here on why accepting the reality and implications of a sickle cell diagnosis is essential for both patients and their loved ones. One element of my support system is a virtual group of sickle cell patients. We all aim to share knowledge and…

I recently shared my journey to accept my diagnosis of sickle cell disease. When people are told they have an illness, it not only affects them, but those around them as well. It’s therefore not just patients who have to accept the journey ahead, but their loved ones, too.

My last column about my medication compliance triggered an interesting conversation with my sister. I’d written about what I did to reach 100% compliance, which is great and necessary for someone who, like me, has sickle cell disease. But the column didn’t touch on how I traveled that…

Back in 2020, I shared details of my medication regimen at the time to treat my sickle cell disease. Since then, I’ve had a few changes in my health status. Thankfully, I successfully overcame my battle with iron overload, a serious side effect of sickle cell…

I can’t think of one area of my life that isn’t affected by sickle cell disease — a reality that can easily become overwhelming and emotionally draining. That’s why a strong support system is imperative. A support system refers to a network of people who are active and present…

Would you believe me if I told you that I was once hospitalized with a sickle cell crisis, and a reflexology foot massage is what caused the pain to subside? Probably not, right? I know it sounds rather strange. I’d been given all sorts of medications that were supposed…