So Haemoglobin SC is a type of sickle cell that majorly affects the red blood cells, giving them an irregular sickle shape unlike the normal healthy red blood cells, the sickle shape makes it short-lived in the body which results in anemia, fatigue, severe exhaustion and the inability to attend strenuous activities, this part is because of the difficulties of Oxygen converting into the blood. This shit is complex, at a younger age I tried studying the biology of my body, and I saw that I was different from other kids, a short trip in the rain and I was already feeling cold, trying to run the primary school marathon and I was almost fainting.
Anything fatigue brought me illnesses, my parents were naive about this condition, they weren't enlightened enough to understand that I inherited this from their genetics, being that my younger brother was totally fine. They didn't understand that he inherited a different gene from them other than the one I inherited. I spent my younger years feeling sick from fatigue, being limited to staying indoors. I know of other people who had this condition with me back then, but surprisingly theirs was worse, they frequented the hospital time and time again, I only went to the hospital once when I was eight to get a blood transfusion and that was when the doctor divulged my condition to my parents.
However, because they both had a catastrophic marriage it was difficult for them to settle down and made my condition a priority, they were the toxic type of couple and due to this, I was taken into foster care by my aunt who was a nurse. This affected my education a lot because I was being moved from one school to another, my younger brother had a more stable life because he was healthier. The secondary schools I went to weren't enlightened about my condition and I was always missing school, back in action then missing classes again. I was a kid who loved adventure, back then, my aunty educated me about my condition, but I wouldn't listen.
I went to play football on a particular day, it was on a hard floor, I slipped while trying to do a stepover and smashed my head on the floor, blood came gushing out and the cut was deep. For three months I received treatments and when I got out of it, I began football again. However, being a teenager was different for me. The stigma of having to be out sick at all times got to me. Due to this, I was more secluded. I found comfort in reading, I was more self-taught than learning from school. From 17 to 20 years was tough for me, because I had to leave school to work. Due to how exceptionally intelligent I was, I landed a lot of teaching jobs and I had to work hard, 7 to 7 to earn a living, it was tough, but I had to continue, my episodes weren't that bad, but they were challenging, I lost weight and kept losing weight, I was continuously putting my body on the line because I had to earn a living.
Sometimes, I thought I'd die from the exhaustion, the anemia, and the stress, but I made great friends along the way, they understood my condition and they supported me immensely. This didn't mean I didn't experience the stigma of being different, the stigma was even tougher than the pain, but this was only when I had to tell people. I shied away from a lot of stuff, women, drinks, party, and even sports. Sometimes people thought I was pompous for doing this. The condition made me prefer seclusion to the limelight. When I grew older, I became more cognizant of my illnesses, the causes, and why they happened. Secretly, I blamed my parents for doing this to me, I felt disgusted towards them when I was younger, they made me limited in all ramifications of life and left me to fend for myself in the whole wide world.
My aunt was probably why I didn't slip into depression. Nevertheless, while I grew older, I tried to make people see me before they saw my condition, I made a reasonable life for myself without family, without parents without anyone, and I was left in the deep to fend for myself. The psychological pain was bigger than the physical pain, I remember dropping out of college on multiple occasions because I couldn't take it anymore, sometimes it made me wonder if I didn't have this extra baggage, wouldn't I have been an even better person..... accomplished?
The last thing I've done was wallowed in self-pity because that wasn't who I was. I wouldn't think I'm a champion, because I conquered so many hurdles, sometimes I attribute this to God because understand normal circumstances I wouldn't be here today. I've left so many parts of my story because this is getting too long. I'll be 29 in September and my life has turned out better, despite the constant pull into the abyss. I'd say it's been a life of testimony, it's been a victory, it's been commendable.
Interested in some more of my works?
Keying Into Sophistication & Exposure To Forestall Economic Revolution
Money: The Learning Curve & Translational Process
What Makes A Job Opportunity Lucrative?
Shopping Online & The Illusion Of Buying Cheap Things
The Humanistic Approach Towards Scarcity & Competition
Spending & Accumulating: The Low & High Point Of The Crypto Seasons.
@Josediccus, your brother-in-pen & heart
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