The International Sickle Cell Centre (ISCC) throws light on the basics of Sickle Cell Disease.
SCD affects 25 million people worldwide but 85% of the global estimates live in sub-Saharan Africa.
In Ghana alone, 18,000 children are born each year with the sickle cell disease.
Although SCD has a long history in Ghana and other parts of sub-Saharan Africa, there are still a lot of misconceptions and misinformation about the condition.
Dr. Mary Ansong, Founder and CEO of the International Sickle Cell Centre (ISCC) stated this as one of the main reasons why the ISCC partnered with AirtelTigo Touching lives to raise sickle cell awareness and break the stigmatisation attached to the condition.
In Episode 1 of the award-winning series, AirtelTigo Touching Lives, throws light on the basics of sickle cell disease.
According to Dr. Mary Ansong, Founder and CEO of the International Sickle Cell Centre states that sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that one is born with. The disease changes the normal doughnut-shaped red blood cells into the shape of a banana. This makes them hard and sticky and causes them to block the small blood vessels, thus preventing the supply of oxygen to vital body tissues of the body. This consequently results in painful experiences, often referred to as crises. This further leads other complications such as severe anaemia, recurrent infections, stroke, and multiple organ damage.
Testimonies
Regina Atatsi, a Sickle Cell Warrior, recounted what she has been through, experiencing the pain of childbirth and at the same time.
She says her mother has been her greatest support from childhood up until this point. She also recalls a teacher who once told her in Junior High School that she would be dead by the age of 21 years. That depressed her and made her cherish her 30th birthday, celebrating that milestone with a photoshoot.
Sickle Cell Disease Myths
Some people believe that SCD is due to witchcraft. Others believe it’s an infectious disease. Dr. Yvonne Dei-Ankomah, a Senior Consultant of ISCC and Consultant Haematologist at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, dispelled some of the myths that surround sickle cell disease in society. She also stressed that many people living with the condition are now surviving into adulthood due to improved healthcare.
Surviving With SCD
Regina disclosed that she drinks a lot of water to stay hydrated and wears protective clothing to keep warm when the weather is cold. She works at her own pace and rests when she tired. She takes her medication religiously which has helped reduce the frequency of pain experiences
Beatrice Gyamerah, an 82-year-old Sickle Cell Warrior also informs the public she is a living testimony and that CSD is not a death sentence”.
