28/07/2015
My humble self, Kanbi Balogun ,AJÁAJÍDÉ Godwin, kids and parents living with sickle cell anaemia at the sickle cell club, at Ikorodu general hospital, inspiring them with my story on how my love for dogs helped by the grace of God helped me to overcome the battles with sickle cell anaemia, giving them hope of a brighter tomorrow.
The kids were awesome, age group of 6months old - 13yrs of age, they really inspired me and reminded me of my childhood, I saw my child self in them and I also saw the warriors in them..
A child's determination should never be underestimated, especially one living with sickle cell anaemia, each child that was able to speak had a story to tell, challenges they had faced and conquered.
I enlightened their parents on how to interprets their feelings (relative per child) knowing what makes them happy and what makes them sad and how it might eventually lead to sickle cell crisis or might prevent it or will make them overcome it.
Each child had something they had passion for, it made them happy and wanted the world to see and know what it is, being amongst them with one of my dog's ( Godwin) got them excited, they all came around to touch and play with Godwin, which made every child pay attention to what I had to say and even give contributions to what I said.
They all had different interest and passion for different things ,some wanted pets, some loved to read books, some loved to draw, make beads , play musical instruments etc...
One thing common to all these kids was the fact that doing what they love made them fell better, medically , mentally and emotionally, they weren't bothered about being born with the sickle cell gene as long as doing what made me happy wasn't taken away nor interrupted.
A child born with sickle cell anaemia isn't an invalid on the contrary , kids born with the SS genotype, are one of the strongest set in the society.
No child as to die from sickle cell crisis, all you need is within your grasp, enlightenment is key, go for medical genotype test to know which genotype you are born with, know your child's genotype, you could be saving your life or your child's life from a lot of pain i.e physically , psychologically n emotionally.
Living with sickle cell anaemia doesn't stop you from achieving your dreams, you are a warrior of Christ and sickness isn't your portion, your blood cells might be sickled but the rest of you is strong.
Most people don't know this but children born with the sickle cell gene can endure more pain than other kids with the AA or AS genotype, being born with SS genotype doesn't make you an invalid to the society but a great contribution to humanity.
Sickle cell anaemia cannot kill you unless you let it, depression kills faster, being born with SS genotype makes you special, your emotions are amplified, when happy it affects your health positively almost immediately vice versa.
You can over come by the grace of God but enlightenment is key, reading more and learning from people who are living or lived to their old age's can give you tips on how they handled sickle cell anaemia.
As for me my dogs were and still are my inspiration, dogs are therapeutic, I never knew this but it helped me overcome and rise above sickle cell anaemia, the application of ' dog therapy' as I tag it would help in the Nigerian medical field, especially for people living with sickle cell anaemia, relative to patients ,especially if they love dogs basically.
Remember, living with sickle anaemia isn't a death sentence... You can live a normal life, get knowledge, parents should with ss genotype kids should raise them with love and care, there aresickle cell foundations and centres everywhere, drink lots of water,know your genotype and stop the sickle cell cycle, no child has to go through crisis, don't be depressed, make your passion your strength, you are a warrior and by God's grace you will overcome.
Special thanks to Dr. (Mrs) Oluwabiyi, Mr. Ayoola and the entire team of the sickle cell club...... God bless you.
-AJAYI BABAJIDE OLUSEGUN..
SHARE TO EVERYONE , YOU COULD SAVE A LIFE.
