Wunmi Bakare

Today, I took one brief moment to glance at my reflection in the mirror, while I prepared for a big pitch with a pharmaceutical company. As I worked on my...

I can't believe it's been 3 years since my transplant. For most of my life, I thought sickle cell pain would always take center stage in my life, dictating where...

As I continue to foster relationships with fellow advocates, one thing rings true for all of us – we grew up not knowing any other person living with sickle cell...

A few weeks ago, I was invited to the Sickle Cell Community Consortium's Leadership Summit in Atlanta. It was the first time health leaders, patient advocates, caregivers, pharmaceutical companies, and...

The other day I was speaking to a dear friend and we found ourselves digging up the "Ex files," thinking of love lost and love won. As we reflected on...

Unfortunately for me, 2023 hasn't been off to a great start. In fact, the year started off with a series of unrelated health issues from increased chest pain to rigor...

Since we've just wrapped up 2022, it's time to start reflecting on how far we've come. As I think about the last 12 months, I can't help but feel a...

Hi, my name is Wunmi and I am guilty of constantly living in my head. I'm not a hermit or recluse, I actually live my life as an extrovert but...

Months before the peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation, my brother felt tense, anxious, and a little nervous. The culmination of emotions was brought on by a fear of the...

As I try to overcome survivor's guilt, one upside to life post-transplant is becoming a caregiver to my #SickleCellTribe. I take so much pride in caring for them because, in the...

For many years, I choose to deprioritize my dating life because living with a chronic illness like sickle cell. It's pretty safe to say that the law of attraction works...

The moment I was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia, my parents, specifically my father, knew the presumed fate of his 18-month-old baby, Wunmi. Sickle cell disease (SCD) was not a...

For many of us, sickle cell disease (SCD) sets precedence for how we show up in our daily lives. It is an invisible disability that riddles our physical, mental, psychological...

Sickle cell is a progressively debilitating blood disorder that can be extremely draining because of its unpredictability. People with sickle cell disease (SCD) must pay attention to warning signs that...

In the era of digital media, there is one word that is extremely repetitive and banal: influencer. Influencers are the new normal and the role has quickly become the 'it'...

In my early childhood, the arches of my feet did not fully develop due to a hereditary condition known as flat foot. A flat foot is a condition that results in...

Last week, some bad news blindsided me. As soon as I hung up the phone, I wailed and the intense wave of emotions felt like a tsunami hitting land, pushing...

Last week, I combed through social media in search of content ideas and stumbled across a young woman (Instagram - @frelletheshelle) who recently participated in a bone marrow transplant at the...

When you hear the phrase "body language," you immediately think of non-verbal cues that we use to communicate: crossed arms, head movements, eye behavior, and facial expressions. That's not the...

Lately, I've found myself getting lost in curated content for the disabled community. I admire the confidence, creative voice, storytelling ability, and remarkable zest for life that these creators possess...