Awele

I never met her and I never will. I knew her from pictures and she looked young and vibrant and happy.

You know those people whose pictures tell you a thousand words? (about how they are fun and exciting and can laugh in every moment)

 Well, she was one of them I guess; but I am almost certain. I have a feeling that if we ever met, we might have been friends.

Calm down , I am not famzing… not best friends, but at least cordial friends.

But we never met

We never met, because Awele left the world.

With all the energy still within her, she left.

On the 10^th of May, Awele was snatched away from this world by Sickle cell.

Awele had Sickle cell Anemia.

You can find out more about her by watching Awele’s Diary on You tube.

Every day Nigerians loose a friend ad loved one to Sickle cell. I watched from a distance as people mourned her and I could not even imagine their pain.

Having a sickler friend or family member is a hard thing.

You watch them have a crisis,

 You watch them scream in pain,

You watch the live a nightmare time and time again and you try to be strong for them,

You watch them through the pills and drips, you say a prayer and you trust.

Then for a while they are good and strong and you say “ oooo, maybe they are done with it for life” and if you know any of them, you know that they live in every moment when they are on their feet , they are so full of life and that makes you love them even more.

Then one day, you wake up and hear they are in the hospital, or maybe you even walk them in, hoping to walkout soon, but they never follow you out.

God bless the upcoming Dr. that will find a cure.

God bless the Dr.’s currently working on it.

I pray one day, there will be a way to end this misery permanently.

Tilll then…….

What do you say to a friend whose genotype is AS and wants to marry someone whose genotype is also AS.?

My friend’s friend is in this situation and so we were talking about it and the right approach- We couldn’t find any.

A part of you wants to shout “ARE YOU MAD? What about the future?

What will happen to the kids and the pain they will live life with?

What burden and sadness do you want to put on the friends they will meet?”

Then while telling you about how they love the guy, they use the words- FAITH

In that moment, you pause and you are short for words,

Because those grounds are holy and you have to thread carefully.

Faith,- that single word.

They have faith God will see them through and they will have healthy babies.

Today, I have a few questions

1.    What do you say to a friend who has faith?

      2.       What will happen if the first 2 babies are SS (I think they check that from even when the woman is pregnant) will you terminate time and time again? How will you cope if you have to do that?

What do you think???

I find it inexcusable for anyone in this day, age, time or  moment in human existence etc.  to walk around without knowing your genotype. There have been a lot of campaigns for that by the SCAF- Sickle Cell Aid Foundation-

#Break the sickle Cycle

#Know your Genotype.

#Test your new born kids.

Knowing your genotype is not for fun, it’s so you can do the right thing which is #Breakthecycle. When you are still in the level of friends, before love comes in, especially if your genotype is already AS, please ask. Please be sure

Rest In Peace Awele.

May God comfort her family and friends and use her story to wake people up to the reality, dangers and pain of bringing a child with Sickle Cell to the world.