Shaniqua’s Sickle Chronicles
— Mary Shaniqua

People often tell me that I make living with sickle cell disease look easy. It is not. Whenever people make these types of comments, I always think that because I was born this way, I don’t know any other…

Most COVID-19 restriction laws were lifted in England on July 19. This includes mask requirements, social distancing rules, work-from-home guidance, and the rule of six, or the maximum number of people allowed at a social gathering. July 19…

One of the many stereotypes of British people is that we can be extremely reserved. In many places in the world, it is common for people to greet one another on the street each morning. This is rare in…

World Sickle Cell Day is upon us tomorrow, June 19. Following are memories that illustrate sickle cell’s ugly grip on my reality. *** The year was 2018 and the British Society for Haematology Annual Scientific Meeting…

One of the most annoying things about sickle cell disease is that a hospitalization can occur with very short notice. I might be fine one moment only to become severely ill the next, often without any heads-up from my…

It has been a while since I last wrote. This is because unfortunately, I had another hospital admission. I was admitted in mid-April and discharged last week, so I was hospitalized for quite some time. I had a…

I want to start by stressing that I do not believe a booming career is the only parameter of success. I have previously written about what success means to me and how sickle cell…

I am scheduled to have a blood transfusion today. So, I want to take this opportunity to explain how I prepare and what this means for me. I have previously written about my treatment…

I have not felt well recently. I have been struggling with a lot of pain from sickle cell crises. In normal circumstances, I think I would have gone to the hospital at least once…

In my last column, I shared tips about dating with sickle cell disease. Continuing in the spirit of the Valentine’s Day season, I wanted to discuss in this column tips for those of you…

One thing people always ask me is how I navigate dating as a sickle cell patient. Since we’ve now entered the month of love, with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, what better time for…

In a previous column, I mentioned some of the good things that happened to me last year. This included a decrease in my iron levels and my subsequent switch from Desferal (deferoxamine mesylate)…