a man looking up at a glowing light

Thank You, Sickle Cell

Gratitude is a good habit I have learned to incorporate into my life. I believe it’s important to appreciate every little thing; big or small. It keeps me grounded and it keeps me focused on the positive things in life. I also believe that the more I am thankful and show gratitude, the more things that come my way to be thankful and grateful for.

Grateful

But how can I be grateful for something that has caused me so much pain? This was something that took me a while to comprehend. I battled with myself. Sickle cell was the one thing that could change my positive and gratifying mood in a flash. So, I challenged myself. I challenged myself to find the silver lining to this sickle cell cloud.

It took time

It actually took me months and many hospital admissions. However, the more I found ways to not be angry at my crappy sickle cell situations, the less crappy the situations actually seemed.

By providing your email address, you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Don't fight fire with fire

This may all sound crazy and I understand that the #sicklecellsucks energy can feel like a welcome release. But as my gran says “Don’t fight fire with fire.”

So here are some of the ways I express gratitude for living with sickle cell.

1. Affirm Positive Statements

There was a time when I used to have panic attacks which would then lead to me having a sickle cell crisis. These would be brought on by my worrying about getting sick.

I would literally repeat statements like “please don’t get sick, please don’t get sick.” Over and over again. Instead of worrying about the unknown, I now try to affirm positive statements such as ‘I am healthy’, ‘I am well.’ ‘I am strong’ ‘I am brave.’ And my go-to’s when I am in the hospital or managing pain at home is ‘I Can Handle it.’ and ‘I’ve got this.’

2. Focus on recovering

When in a crisis and/or in hospital, it can sometimes be difficult to focus on anything other than the pain. Still, I try my best to take my mind somewhere else and focus on all the things I will do once I have recovered. I think about going out to dinner, dancing, and being able to see my God Children, family, and friends. Fundamentally, all the things that make me happy are what I picture doing.

3. List of gratitude

I have experienced some horrible issues as a result of sickle cell. Still, I cannot deny the fact that sickle cell has made me who I am. For this very reason, I like to say all the good things that have happened in my life because of sickle cell.

I start by saying ‘I am thankful for’ and then continue with things such as the friends I have met who also have sickle cell and have something in common with me. Or the surgeries and complications I’ve had as a result of sickle cell that has allowed me to share my experience with others going through the same thing. And so on.

Changing our attitude

When I first started doing this, I found it difficult. I know it may not be for everyone and we all view our experiences differently. The way I see it; we may not be able to change our situation but we can certainly change our attitude towards it.

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The Sickle-Cell.com team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

Join the conversation

Please read our rules before commenting.