Dunstan Nicol-Wilson is a clinical project manager from South East London, United Kingdom. Dunstan has his master’s in public health with a global health focus. Dunstan was diagnosed with the “invisible disorder” sickle cell disease from birth in 1993. He hopes that his column will raise awareness for this disease, encourage others to share their stories, and showcase all the ups and downs of living with a rare condition. Dunstan loves anime, cooking, and Manchester United.
It’s almost winter again here in the U.K., and every year I’m shocked by the cold weather and its impact on my body. Winter has always been one of my greatest adversaries, and as…
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While sickle cell falls under the umbrella of rare disease, it doesn’t feel so rare among my circle of acquaintances. In my community, somebody always knows someone else with sickle cell disease and…
It’s the season for new beginnings and expanding on our past successes. I’m grateful to see another year; it’s a blessing and a privilege. In remembrance of those who didn’t make it into…
Mentoring young people with sickle cell disease has been an enriching endeavor. I’ve learned and shared a lot about how the disease affects people differently. As a result of these differences,…
I’m constantly going through physical, spiritual, and mental growth. Removing or changing learned behavior and patterns, for example, has allowed me to become a better version of myself. However, I’ve been walking with…
I have been on a journey since 2018 to share my experiences with sickle cell disease and help others avoid some of the mistakes I’ve made along the way. This journey has…
I took a break recently and rewatched some of my favorite anime and cartoons. There’s a popular idea in these types of media called a “canon event,” which is like a “what if”…
For a long time, I’ve been against the notion of being called a sickle cell warrior. I didn’t feel I deserved the title. A warrior, to me, is a skilled combatant who’s spent…
The past few months have brought me a stretch of good health. Because the cold can trigger a sickle cell crisis for me, I tend to have fewer issues during the…
The pain from a sickle cell crisis is difficult to describe. To explain, I’d compare it to getting your hand repeatedly slammed in a car door, with that pain searing every second throughout…
As a teenager with sickle cell disease, I thought that one of my biggest challenges in life would be disease management. I worried about what my life would look like, how many…
Over the past month, I’ve had caregivers, friends, and siblings of patients with sickle cell disease reach out to me with questions about how to better support their loved one. Each scenario I’ve…
Hello, June! This month is very significant in my life, with various celebrations and anniversaries. For one, I’ve spent two years writing almost weekly about my sickle cell disease journey on Sickle…
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