June 19 reminds me of a close friend, Aaliyah, the most beautiful and energetic girl I know. With each passing day, she never ceases to use her voice to create beautiful memories in class, from engaging us in games during our free periods to the singing battles between the girls and boys. Aaliyah wasn’t just our class captain but a great cheerleader. I hadn’t seen someone who spoke so confidently as she did, you would think her skinny small stature would prevent her from shining her light but she is the star of the class.
It was the resumption of the new session, Aaliyah looked so different, her eyes were yellow, and her forehead was bussing, everyone noticed the changes in her looks and no one seemed to stop talking about it, my friend was so bold, she addressed everyone in the class, “Hello everyone I know a lot has changed about my looks, unlike everyone in this class I have sickle cell disease, and as the class captain I won’t be able to continue in my responsibility. All through the break I fell sick many times, but I am not saying this for you all to pity me, but I want you all to know sometimes some of us don’t choose our parents, my parents love each other and I have only experienced love at home, talking about my disease was what my parent found out so late, all through my mom’s life she always knew her genotype was AA and had done the test two different times in different hospitals but it appears there was an error until few years after I was born and my parents noticed my hands and feet were swelling, I was taken to the hospital and was confirmed to have sickle cell disease. My mom argued but was advised to retake the test as my Dad always knew his genotype was AS. She took the test and it was confirmed that her genotype was AS. A person must inherit two copies of the sickle cell gene (one from each parent) to develop the disease. Those with only one copy of the gene are carriers, known as having sickle cell trait, and usually do not exhibit symptoms. I inherited the S trait from my both parent and this was how I inherited the Sickle cell disease”.
Everyone exclaimed wow, this is an enlightening moment. Everyone felt so sorry for Aaliyah. Many of us had questions in our hearts but we noticed she was getting tired, and our class teacher brought her water, the next week Aaliyah got sicker and wasn’t able to make it to school….
There is always someone next to your door who is battling with sickle cell disease or who has the sickle cell trait. These are what you need to know about sickle cell for you to provide adequate support:
1. Episodes of severe pain, known as vaso-occlusive crises, occur when sickle-shaped cells block blood flow to different parts of the body. Understand that pain crises are real, and they are not faking it. This is how you can support them during pain crises… encourage them to drink a lot of clean water, give them pain relief, and take them to the nearest hospital.
2. Fatigue; Reduced oxygen delivery leads to general fatigue and weakness. They can easily get exhausted by any form of stress, so be kind enough to be understanding when they complain of being tired and provide adequate support by removing all forms of stressors.
3. Anemia: Due to the shortened lifespan of sickle cells (10-20 days compared to the normal 120 days), individuals with SCD often experience chronic anemia, in which they appear paperwhite… the palm of their hand appears pale compared to other people without SCD.
4. Delayed Growth: Children with SCD may experience slower growth and delayed puberty due to chronic anemia.In conclusion, Sickle cell disease requires a comprehensive approach, including regular medical check-ups, a healthy lifestyle, and awareness of potential complications. Patients should stay hydrated, avoid extreme temperatures, and take measures to prevent infections. Pain management is also crucial, and individuals should work closely with their healthcare team to develop an effective pain management plan.
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