My name is Chuk Obanye. I was born with Sickle cell anaemia in May 1980. I am happily married with 3 beautiful daughters. The aim of my brief background introduction is to provide hope to anyone currently suffering from Sickle cell anaemia and to simply share with you some of my experiences along with some tips on managing the effect of this blood disease.

As a young child growing up, I suffered constantly with having low blood counts, iron deficiency, fatigues and loss of weight just to name a few. I also had a lot of hospital admissions which you all know can be very unpleasant. I was no stranger to peer pressure either from close friends which you all will agree comes with the territory, Eh?

I remember a crisis I suffered growing up that took a toll on me. I was severely anaemic and extremely weak with a lot of pain in my spleen. At a point whilst laying down on a couch I knocked myself in the head with my fist and felt nothing. I had no sense of feeling in my body and thought to myself “Is this how it ends”? It was that bad.

Having Sickle cell anaemia can be quite daunting. My advice is to:

1. Keep God first place. Remind God constantly of His promises to you. Remember you are wonderfully made in His likeness. He will fill you with long life and prosperity.
2. Know your body.
3. Rest a lot and have plenty of sleep.
4. Eat three times a day and consume a good amount of fruits and vegetables. Remember you will be taking in 3x more iron, vitamins and folic from fruits and vegetables alone.
5. Hydrate yourself with plenty of water daily.
6. Keep warm in cold weather / season.
7. Perform soft exercises for good blood circulation.

There are growing numbers of research on sickle cell anaemia which is spreading awareness globally. As a result more people with sickle cell anaemia are talking about living with the blood disease which is good news.

Do not be ashamed of it. Embrace it!

Remember you are wonderfully made in His likeness and whosoever believes in Him will have life in full and in abundance. The truth is, there is no amount of medication that can make a huge difference. I can now say “If it wasn’t for God”.

You are special and you have been chosen by God to make a difference and be a blessing to others like you.

Reference: Obanye C. 2020 “From @k0122670”.