I strongly advocate for mental health and well-being because I have seen the personal benefits of it. By paying attention to these issues in my life, my overall mood has improved, I’ve become more confident, and I’ve been physically able to keep up with the demands of everyday life.
At the start of the year, I challenged myself to have zero sickle cell crises. I knew this goal was ambitious and something I’d never done as an adult, but I wanted to try. Putting it out there in the universe was my way of holding myself accountable.
Blood vessel narrowing due to external or internal stimuli, and the resulting reduced blood flow, may be the main drivers of the painful vaso-occlusive crises experienced by people with sickle cell disease (SCD). Inducing stimuli for such blood vessel narrowing include mental stress, pain, and extreme temperatures, either low…
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