Ayoola Faith

A very close warrior friend of mine once asked if I have ever been scared that sickle cell will hinder me from finding love and having a healthy relationship headed towards marriage. I smiled. For many sickle cell warriors that I have encountered, I realized that they silently (and sometimes loudly) carry the fear that […]

Mockery. Discrimination. Careless comments. Exclusion. Judgement. A warrior may recover from a painful crisis, but the emotional scars left by the above list can take much longer to heal. Years back… It was a usual afternoon. We just returned to the hostel premises after launch and the ladies were awaiting the hostel prefect to open

REQUESTING HELP One of the things I have noticed about many sickle cell warriors including myself is that we often find it difficult to ask for help. The reluctance to ask for help comes from a place of we not wanting to be a burden to our family, friends, colleagues, or community. It is not

Money is very important in life. The question is: How do I survive financially when my health is unpredictable? A warrior can be intelligent, hardworking, skilled, and ambitious, yet still struggle to maintain steady income because of health-related limitations. Some warriors apply for jobs and get rejected the moment employers discover their health condition. Some

Being kind There’s a certain way people move through the world. It looks composed, functional, almost unreadable. You see people show up, say the right things and do what is expected. But if you pay attention long enough, you start to notice that not everything is as settled as it appears. And maybe that’s where

This is for my female warriors… I understand that many times, the menstrual cycle is not just a monthly inconvenience—it can be a battlefield. The body is already fighting one war and then another begins. Menstrual cramps alone can be intense. But when combined with a sickle cell crisis, it is overwhelming. It feels like

Some health challenges associated with sickle cell are rarely discussed because they involve sensitive parts of the body. One of these conditions is priapism. Many male Sickle Cell Warriors experience it at some point in their lives, yet many do not fully understand what it is or what to do when it happens. They may

Back story I woke up as usual and said my morning prayers. Then I wanted to use the restroom but the first step I took landed me back to bed. I held my breath while squeezing my face due to the unexpected but familiar pain in my right foot. “Not again. Please, not this time.”

We have gotten so busy chasing other things that we often forget to devote (time, effort, energy and money) to our being. You know, everyone is in the process of building or trying to acquire something tangible. Contributions that will yield gains towards the future is the focus and I understand the importance of securing

Hello beautiful people, It’s been a long while here. I’m glad to finally find my way back to this space. I found out lately that humans fascinate me. For the past few months, I’ve paid more attention than usual to humans and I don’t know why. So here’s the discovery of my fascinated mind: Everybody