Every June 19, the World celebrates the World Sickle Cell Day. Sickle cell is a group of inherited blood disorders. The sickle cell disease causes the red blood cell to form a crescent shape like a sickle. These blood cells break easily thus leading to anemia. A normal red blood cell lasts for 120 days but a sickled red blood cell only get to last for 10-20 days.
Damaged sickled red blood cells usually sticks to the walls of the blood vessels and thus disrupts the flow of blood. This is what leads to severe pains in a sickler. This pain could also cause damage to the heart, brain, kidney, liver, bones and spleen. This is also known as Sickle Cell Crisis. These crisis could be triggered by infections or dehydration.
Every World Sickle Cell day, the world donors and celebrates individuals living with the sickle cell disorder. The idea is to create awareness for sickle cell and to show the world what it is to live with sickle cell disease; it is to share a story of that person who has no choice but to live with a pain that hovers.
Today, I would be sharing a story that takes an in-depth look into the life and experiences of someone living with sickle cell disease, Toyin Oshinowo, a sickle cell warrior.
Indeed, “Pain is Complicated”
