A Sickle Cell Graduate Patient Needs Your Help

Sickle cell nightmare, what you can do to help?

In my 50 years of living with sickleanaemia cell disorder, I have come across very heart wrenching stories. I am sure some of you have more sorry tales to tell about relatives of friends who suffer from the terrible condition. The case ofAbiodunAbidemiBakarebelow is one of such heart-wrenching cases that prompt this post in the first place. 

Biodun was born with the sickle cell Anemia. The young man’s condition deteriorated after he wrapped up his final exams in the OnabisiOnabanjo University. He has lost all of the muscle functions in his lower body and the pain he goes through daily is better imagined than described.Abiodun urgently needs Hips and Knee replacement surgery.  We hope to send him abroad for the replacement surgeries as soon as he is done with physiotherapy. Today his life hangs in the balance. He had to miss the compulsory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) on account of his illness.

There are thousands of people with sickle cell like Biodun, some of them going through worse situations that our organization caters for. We need your help to be able to continue in providing help for the special kind of people.

ABOUT ME AND MY ORGANISATION

My name is ToyinAdesola. I have been living with Sickle Cell for the past 50 years.

According to statistics, an estimated 200, 000 infants in Africa are born with Sickle Cell Disorder every year. Nigeria accounts for three quarters of these births. Today, about 5.2 million Nigerians suffer from the condition. I am one of them. Still, I count myself lucky becauseI’ve been fortunate enough to have family & friends that are very supportive and financially capable to help me through the trauma. Having lived with Sickle Cell for 50 years I understand the challenges of dealing with it.

But that’s just me. There are millions of Nigerians out there who are not so lucky. So many people with Sickle Cell have lost their lives unnecessarily because they lacked the necessary financial and moral support. Others have suffered from social stigma not only from the general public but even from their family members.  That’s why we started Sickle Cell Advocacy and Management Initiative.

We are a non-profit organization setup to give support and succour to people living with Sickle Cell. Since its inception in 2008, Sickle Cell Advocacy has touched the lives of sickle cell sufferers around the country through the monthly Medical Outreaches where we provide free medical consultation and free drugs to underprivileged children and adults with sickle cell thereby assisting in managing their health. We also organize a special event called “Touch a Cell Dance-a-Thon” where we go to schools and we try to educate the students about their genotype and sickle cell in general.

Sickle Cell Advocacy’s work also includes providing social support to people living with sickle cell. Our response to social stigmatization is to step in by providing support through a number of ways like paying for school fees, house rents, amongst others for Sickle Cell Sufferers. We have also empowered people with Sickle Cell throughvocational trainings and provision of equipment to enable them starts their own businesses.

I have had tremendous support from some well-meaning Nigerians like Folusho Philips, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Philips Consulting, Pastor ItuahIghodalo, MrAyodeji Jeremiah, Editor, Timeless Magazine, my dear sister, FolukeOgunbekun, Theresa Ileka, Fela Bank Olemoh, Linda Ikeji, Yinka Davies,IdowuAimola,SamuelOlatunji of www. iCampusng.com, Tope Jemerigbe,MD of DKK and Associates, who is a mother of a seven year old child living with sickle cell and a host of others. But there’s only so much we can do. The challenge remains enormous.

WE NEED YOUR N500

That’s why we need your N500 for the N500 by 1m campaign. The N500 by 1m campaign is an initiative set up to encourage 1m Nigerians to donate N500 or more. Sickle Cell Advocacy aims to provide urgently needed medication, life-saving surgeries as well as counseling and public awareness programs through the monies we generate from the campaign. With your kind donations, we will be able to provide even more support to improve the lives ofthose living with sickle cell in the country. Sickle Cell is no longer a death sentence, with proper care and management they can live a well fulfilled and purposeful life, just like I have

So what is N500 worth to you? It could be the difference between improving the quality of life for people with sickle cell,or allowing them waste away inagonizing pain.

Why not join other Nigerians and I in this fight against sickle cell Anemia?

Please send in your N500 or more to either of these accounts.

GTBank: Sickle Cell Advocacy &Mgt Initiative Account 0008294592,

EcoBank: Sickle Cell Advocacy &Mgt Initiative Account 0052126735

Or through our online portal via our website

For more information visit the SAMI website at www.sicklecelladvocacy.org and join the conversation on our social media platforms; Twitter: @samiupdate, www.facebook.com/touchcell and on Youtube: SAMITVNG with the hashtags #500by1m or #WhatcanyoudowithN500?