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.
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 must figure out how…
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I was recently on a panel with fellow Sickle Cell Disease News columnist Tito Oye and other sickle cell patients, as part of a sickle cell-focused episode for the YouTube channel Make It Common. It was an…
My therapist asked me, “What does it mean to you to be a ‘masculine man,’ and how does having sickle cell disease impact that meaning?” It’s a question I hadn’t fully considered before, but about the same…
I didn’t reveal that I had sickle cell disease when I started my first job here in the U.K. As a new college graduate, and with the odds stacked against me because I had no previous work experience,…
The treatment Adakveo (crizanlizumab) has been made available in the U.K. as the first new therapy for sickle cell disease in over two decades. The aim of Adakveo, which will be available to patients 16 and older…
The pain from a sickle cell crisis is one of the most devastating things I have felt. It is unpredictable and can eat away at you physically, spiritually, and mentally. The normal response to severe pain is to…
I was recently diagnosed with avascular necrosis (AVN) in my knees. When the doctor called to tell me, I expected to be OK with it. I had read fellow Sickle Cell Disease News columnist Tito Oye’s column…
I often underestimate how much I have learned about sickle cell over the years. To live with a chronic condition, one must understand all the symptoms and side effects that come with it. However, these lessons aren’t freely given…
September always reminds me of preparing for a new school year. It’s been a while since I’ve had to do that, so I have long since fallen out of the habit. However, I have not forgotten the feeling of…
As August draws to a close, so does the end of summer. September brings a new season and a fresh start. It is also Sickle Cell Awareness Month — a time to get involved and spread knowledge about…
The word “crisis” is probably the most accurate term for what happens when pain kicks in from sickle cell disease. The dictionary definition of a crisis is “a time of intense difficulty or danger,” and that’s exactly what happens…
I have often overlooked the song “From Now On” from the movie “The Greatest Showman,” because “This Is Me” has to be the best song on the soundtrack, right? In the movie, protagonist P. T. Barnum,…
“You’ll Never Walk Alone” is a famous ballad sung by fans of the Liverpool Football Club. As a Manchester United fan, I hate Liverpool, but I love this anthem. Is that allowed? It reminds me that in soccer…
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