Must Read: Sickle Cell No Be Death Sentence

Written by: Jolayemi Olajide 

Di Load Wey Eye No Fit See:

One dark night for Warri, 14-year-old Amara just wake up suddenly for her bed, hold her chest tight, begin cry, and shout: “Mama oh , I dey die oh! Di pain too much!”

Her mama run enter di room, body begin shake. But when she check Amara body down to her feet, she no see any wound, she no see blood, and nothing show for outside to explain why di gel dey cry like say cutlass cut am. Neighbors wey hear di noise come pack for di window.

One woman shout from outside, “Ah-ah, Mama Amara, leave di pikin make she sleep oh! Na small fever, she just dey do drama make she no go school tomorrow.”

Mama Amara look di woman with bad eye, she know say her pikin no dey do drama.

She don see dis ghost before say na sickle cell crisis don enter di house again.

For many sickle cell warriors, na so di fight dey be. Di pain fit hold your chest, bite your back, lock your legs, or tear your belle for hours or even days.

Wetin dey happen na say di red blood cells, wey suppose round and soft like fine tomato, don dry up come bend like sickle knife.

Dem go come go jam themselves, lock di small small pipe wey dey carry oxygen round di body, so even if person fine for eye like fresh fish, inside her body, war dey happen.

Mama Amara wrap her wrapper, carry Amara for back, and look di neighbor: “When pesin tell you say load heavy for his back, you no need drop am for ground measure am before you believe. Na di person wey wear shoe know where e dey pinch am.”

Di Doctor and Di Blocked Expressway

When dem reach hospital, di doctor carry Amara sit for chair, look her mama, come tell dem one parable:
“Imagine say busy road dey wey food and medicine trucks dey pass go give life to distant villages. Suddenly, di trucks spoil, turn upside down, come block di whole road. Wetin go happen to di people for dem village?”
Amara use weak voice answer: “Hunger go kill dem, doctor. Nothing go reach dem.”
Di doctor nod his head: “Correct pikin. Na so sickle cell dey do.

Di body na di road, di cells na di truck, and oxygen na di food. Di fight dey inside, so eye no fit see am from outside.”
He tap Amara shoulder come smile: “But listen, my pikin, science don dey find way to clear dis block.

Small time, di truck dem go dey run smooth again.”

Hope Don Touch Di Small Pickin Dem

Di doctor explain say scientists don pass di level of just giving painkiller,  dem don dey edit di body blood cell from di root.

Back in 2023, di United States FDA approve Casgevy, di first treatment wey dey use CRISPR gene-editing technology, plus another one dem dey call Lyfgenia.

Wetin Casgevy dey do na to edit di person own blood stem cells make di body fit produce fresh fetal haemoglobin, wey go stop di cells from bending like sickle knife.

And di big news hit everywhere: US FDA expand di approval of Casgevy down to small children from two years old and above wey dey suffer dis severe pain crisis.

Dis mean say for di first time, gene therapy don reach pikin wey just dey start life, to crush di disease right from di root.

Although doctors still dey warn say dis gene editing no be injection wey you go just collect for chemist, dem go need collect your stem cells, treat am outside for lab, come clean your bone marrow before dem put am back, e still show say di world dey move forward.

Di Ultimate Lesson

Before Amara leave hospital dat week, di doctor hug her, look her mama face, and talk dis last words:
“Pesin wey dey carry heavy load for dark night, you no need wait till sun come out before you offer am hand.

Believing di pain na di first step of healing.” Mama Amara hold her pikin hand tight, eye commot water, she come realize say her pikin no need blood or open wound before di world suppose show am love. Sickle cell fit make di journey hard, but e no mean say di trip don end.

Sickle cell warriors dey go university, dem dey turn doctors, dem dey marry, get dem own children, and conquer di world.

Di disease fit be part of di story, but sickle cell is not a death sentence.

Until dis high-tech treatments reach every corner for Warri and di whole world, make everybody remember dis simple truth: You no need see di wound before you believe di pain.