Health activist and sufferer of the sickle cell disorder, SCD, Titilayo Bamidele, on Thursday in Ilorin stated that the ordeal of leaving with the health condition is better imagined than lived.
Bamidel made her revelation at a one day program commemorating 2022 sickle cell awareness sponsored by Amb. Dr Olufolake Abdulrazak in Ilorin.
According to her parents must ensure that consistent blood test for kids at different centers must be done to truly ascertain genotypes so as to protect children early enough.
“Every aspect of your life is affected when you live with SCD.
“When I have my episodes, it’s like having one of my limbs in a pepper grinder, excruciatingly being grinded.
“Not only that, your social life suffers.
“Romance and marriage proposals are compromised because relatives of my would be husbands are told that he would be a widower soon after marrying me,” Bamidele narrated.
There are estimated six million people living with SCD in Nigeria.
The awareness program held at the State Banquet Hall in Ilorin with various dignitaries in attendance. Some of them are Dr Raji Rasak, Commissioner for Information, Bode Towoju, Commissioner for Communication, Prof. Raheem Adaramaja, chairman, Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board, KWASUBEB.
Explaining in vernacular the SCD to members of varied interest group also present at hall, Prof Adaramaja drew linkage between between uninformed marital choices to incidence of the blood disorder.
He briefly illustrated with use of roughly drawn sickle to show the principal cause of the SCD episode, urging parents to seek quality medical advice on the matter.