Living

You've heard the popular phrase "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." But name-calling hurts because it is an unfair attempt to falsely define...

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is viewed and treated differently all around the world. Where you are born can determine whether you or your children are screened at birth. It can...

When most people talk about dating and marriage, it’s about the other person. For me, my mental health, self-care, and happiness come first before anyone else. I think dating is...

I have baby fever. I am not sure what is about this point in life where all my friends and peers are getting engaged or married, buying homes, and having...

Editorial Note: Nominations for 2024 are now closed. We are very excited to announce the launch of the 2024 Social Health Awards program! The Social Health Awards is an awards...

As of today, there are more treatment options, curative therapies, clinical trials, and studies to go around. Luckily, I've witnessed what the past ten years alone have yielded. Humans have...

Staying healthy with sickle cell disease (SCD) starts with early diagnosis. Treatment is available, but it can be hard to get all the care you need. The treatments have improved...

World Sickle Cell Day is June 19th, the same day that Juneteenth is commemorated. World Sickle Cell Day was established in 2008 by the United Nations after the World Health...

The act of survival can be summed up in 3 words – never giving up! Survival is deeply rooted in mental, physical, and psychological strength; navigating dark times and unpleasant...

It's been a while since I’ve been able to write. I tried several times and think I convinced myself I had writer's block. I didn’t though. The truth is, I...

Fitness is one thing that I have found interest in recently. I decided to invest more time and effort into keeping fit. So, I started by setting a fitness goal...

Sickle cell is a thief of joy and happiness. Most patients try to live through it all and smile as much as possible but this doesn’t take away the fact...

I think being in denial that you live with sickle cell is something many warriors can relate to, especially if you live in Africa. In Nigeria (where I'm from), despite...

Recently, I had to come to terms with the fact that my stem cell transplant was not a finite curative therapy. At first, I was angry, then defeated. But as...

Thanks to my sickle cell advocacy work, I have conversations with people all over the world. To see the differences among countries, patients, and doctors is so beautiful. I would...

As a child, I felt I was the only person in the world with sickle cell anemia. Silly me. It wasn’t completely my fault, though. I hadn’t met anyone else...

I recently got diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It seems the struggles of living with sickle cell keep piling up over the days, from one (unsolved) problem to another. I must...

Last year, I launched a web project titled The Diary of a #SickleCellProdigy – a content series that gives audiences a closer look at a patient's life with and without...

My journey as a sickle cell advocate started 13 years ago, after my husband and I visited the obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN) specialist. During the visit, to my surprise, she...

Before medical school, the biggest decisions are deciding if you want to go to medical school, where to apply, and then hopefully, you get into more than one school and...