The Best Part of Living with Sickle Cell That You Might Be Ignoring

Why do some people think nothing good can come from living with sickle cell? They feel like every day is miserable for someone living with this disease.

Maybe they need to be reminded that life isn't black and white. It's never all good or bad; it is always a mix of good and bad days. You might be wondering if there is any good in living with sickle cell. Well, there is and I am going to share three of those with you in this article.

The power of words in the formative years

During my younger days, sickle cell was not something that I wanted to be associated with. I grew up in a community where the majority knew about sickle cell in a horrible way, so that shaped their opinion on sickle cell. I heard things like ‘they are always sick’ or ‘they are always in the hospital’, in fact, a teacher in my secondary school stopped me from being punished with the excuse "so that you would not faint".

To be honest, no one really believes in our abilities especially when they know you live with sickle cell until we prove ourselves, and that begins with feeling positive about living with sickle cell.

Here are three positives that I have experienced in my twenty-something years of living with sickle cell.

#1: Being part of a global community

Thanks to the internet and most importantly social media, anyone now has access to sickle cell communities from anywhere around the world. However, the best part of being in a sickle cell community is that everyone in the community is there to encourage you whether by sharing personal stories or sharing their knowledge.

We share similar pain stories. Maybe that is why there is no judgment and everyone is there to celebrate your wins no matter how little and assist you as you recover from your loss.

I remembered when I just started my career as a social media manager, I had almost no experience, but a sickle cell caregiver that I had connected with via Instagram gave me an opportunity to prove myself. She also encouraged me along the journey. I am grateful that I am part of the community and it would not be wrong if I didn't say that I owe everything that I am today to the sickle cell community.

#2: Ability to inspire someone

To inspire someone is to fill someone with confidence and desire to do something. You don’t have to stand in front of a thousand-person audience to inspire someone. You can inspire people by just living your life with sickle cell. Living with sickle cell offers you the opportunity to inspire others whether you believe it or not. My journey into advocacy began when I started sharing my experience on Instagram and Facebook and I get appreciation the messages from warriors or caregivers that I receive regularly.

You might not be comfortable sharing your story online, but that does not mean you cannot inspire someone. Trust me, people around you are inspired by your resilience.

#3: Understanding the unpredictability of life

If there is one thing that I will be forever grateful to sickle cell for teaching me, that is the unpredictability of life. Everyone knows it but not everyone appreciates it or understands the impact. You might have the best plan in the world and be excited to take action, but a simple thing might send you into a pain crisis or a complication that would literally put your life on hold.

What this means is that there is no need to wait or procrastinate, because anything can happen in the next few seconds. I think anyone living with a chronic illness knows that it constantly reminds you that you are not in total control of your life and can appreciate this.

You don’t have to feel bad for falling ill. Sometimes, it just happens. But, never leave what you can do today till tomorrow.