Welcome to my safe space, where you can explore and learn more about my life’s journey living with Sickle Cell Disease. Here you may discover my day to day coping methods, health updates and most importantly my on-going mission of advocacy for Sickle Cell warriors and the disability community. Take a look around. My hope is for you to find something that resonates with you along the way.
The Sickle Cell Warrior
WHAT IS SICKLE CELL DISEASE?
Sickle cell disease is the most common inherited blood disorders in the world. It affects the shape of red blood cells. Normally they are round and move easily through blood vessels, however with this disorder, some red blood cells are shaped like sickled crescent moons. They loose oxygen at a rapid date and deform, becoming rigid, which can block blood flow causing a number of complications to organs and bones. There are different forms of this illness, having coined Sickle Cell Disease as the all encompassing umbrella term. As of now there are treatment options available for people living with this disease, however only a few cases quality for the only form of a cure, referred to as a bone marrow transplant.
ABOUT ME
I took a leap of faith in 2017 to start publicly advocating for Sickle Cell patients on social media by sharing general facts. It was not until the year 2019 that I took it a step further and publicly declared that I too had this disorder.
For many years I had kept this part of my life’s journey private and sacred. Part of the reason being the stigma that comes with having an invisible illness, one that you can feel but others cannot see. Through the uncertainty, I saw the need to bring more awareness to this disease. I longed to be apart of a larger community that I was not able to obtain in my surroundings, so I turned to social media. By doing so I gained further insight on my illness, found relatable peer reviews on various subjects, came cross relatable day to day living complications. All of which, empowered me to share my own truths and journey.
