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By David Owoeye
In life, we choose what we want to become,
And what we become is what we chose.
No matter the circumstances life throws at us.
Living with sickle cell disorder was not my choice,
But becoming a sickle cell warrior rather than a sickle cell victim is my choice.
After experiencing a lot of sickle cell crises,
Frequent pain crises and hemolytic crises,
Not to mention the sequestration (splenic) crisis,
That culminated into autosplenectomy, the shrunken spleen,
And also experiencing different sickle cell complications,
The early hand and foot syndrome (dactylitis),
That resulted in a prolonged hospitalization with blood transfusion,
Then the enuresis (bedwetting) of childhood with its psychological trauma,
I kind of think enuresis can cause sickle cell stigmatization,
When bedwetting frequently single you out as the odd one in the family,
That refuses to stop bedwetting after other siblings stopped at a ‘familial standard age’,
Then the pubertal delay with stunted growth that often embraces me,
Both physically and mentally,
Oh! What torture to live it,
Let’s move on.
Not to mention priapism and pica,
Epistaxis and chronic leg ulcers,
Chronic fatigue syndrome and chronic pain syndrome,
Mood swings and other mental health challenges,
Recently eyes challenges need using recommended glasses,
Furthermore, sickle cell abuse and discrimination is something common,
Very common to most sickle cell warriors.
All these, it is like a plethora of challenges and problems,
That can activate the despondency mode,
But I choose not to be baggage of despondency,
Rather, I choose to be a beacon of hope,
Trusting God for His comfort in all these,
“My Grace is sufficient for thee,
For My Power is made Perfect in thy weakness”,
And from the comfort that I benefitted from God in all these,
I will teach, share and comfort others.
Borrowing a clip from the movie,
Man of Steel,
Lois asked Superman what the ‘S’ sign means,
Superman told Lois it is not an ‘S’
But it means a beacon of hope,
In Krypton, where he comes from.
The ‘S’ of the hemoglobin S,
The ‘S’ of the first word of Sickle cell,
It may mean different things to different people,
But to me, it means a beacon of hope,
Because I choose to be a beacon of hope,
Because I want to be a beacon of hope,
That there are no limitations in life,
Except for the limits you create and allow in your mind.
That the presence of sickle cell disorder in my life,
Does not indicate the absence of God in my life.
I choose to be a beacon of hope,
I want to be a beacon of hope,
Giving glory to God and motivating others to give God glory,
So, help me God.
To know about sickle cell disorder,
Get the book,
A LIFE WITH SICKLE CELL ANAEMIA,
On Amazon or Okadabooks.
Printed copies are available on Amazon and in Nigeria.
To get your printed copies in Nigeria, contact davishalom2020@gmail.com.
Be Informed and Inspired.