One thing that my good friends and family know about me is that I am amazingly stubborn. I like to think that this is a particularly amazing characteristic that I have which has enabled me to remain motivated and tackle obstacles against all odds. And those odds are definitely stacked against me. I am currently 24 weeks pregnant with my second child 😨 I know what you’re thinking. Didn’t I learn my lesson the first time? The short answer is yes...and no. So maybe there is no short answer. But I do know that individuals with sickle cell disease and other chronic illnesses have the same human urges to procreate. I'm not saying everyone desires to be a parent, but generally, we have similar wants, needs, goals and dreams as healthy people. I've accomplished a lot in my short time on this Earth and I am so proud of me for hanging in there through some tough situations. But maybe you don't know about those? Okay, I'll tell you. I wasn't diagnosed with Sickle Cell D...
Dear Providers, You may not know this about me, but I am a fighter. This means I am going to fight you, tooth and nail, for you to do what's best for me as a patient. I am going to challenge you to see me as HUMAN first. I wear many hats. I am a mom , wife , sister , an aunt , a niece , a daughter , a granddaughter , a cousin , a friend , a confidant , and an advocate. I have qualities you may not be aware of yet. I'm educated, passionate, devoted, outspoken, charismatic, funny, sarcastic and sassy. I just happen to have Sickle Cell Disease. But I spend a lot of my time being emotional and fearful that the first thing you see when I walk into your place of work, is a combination of my skin color and my disease. You make judgements about why I am there. You question if I am truly in pain. You may even accuse me of drug seeking. I will go along with all of your tests designed to rule out imminent death, and will ride along as you do the minimum allowed to void yourse...
Death. It really is true that it comes like a thief in the night. One minute everything is status quo, and the next, your whole life is turned upside down. The loss I feel at the death of my grandmother is incomparable. Through this sickle journey that I have been on, she had been an avid cheerleader in my successes and solid counsel in times of failure. I'd call my grandma and we'd talk and laugh for hours. She taught me so much about love and sacrifice. You see, grandma came to look after my sisters and I when my mother was stationed in Korea. I remember our afternoon walks to school and the feeling of community. As we aged, grandma stayed in Colorado and was very rooted. She worshipped at church, met up with friends for lunch and remained wholly independent despite never driving, nor expressing any desire to learn how to drive. But she missed her hometown of Baltimore, MD. So grandma left us in Colorado and took another journey across the country in 2009. Even thoug...
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