Isata Lakoh – The Most Important Day
The most important day of my life is the day my parents explained the essence of the pain I have gone through majority of my life. Around the age of seven, I was slowly being informed about what made me different from the rest.
The Beginning
The very beginning of any child’s existence would have to be a joyful and exciting day for any parent. Little did my parents know that there was something not quite right. By the time I was four years old, my parents came upon a baffling discovery about me but they did not bother to tell me just yet about what was going on. After all, I was still just a child and I would not be able to make sense of what my parents were trying to say at the time.
At the age of seven, I started to wonder about myself pondering why I have to live life in a specific way. I lived a lot different from the way other people lived their lives, that’s for sure. I felt like a complete outsider. Almost like a fruit loop in a world of cheerios. One day, I decided to take action and ask my parents about myself. As expected from a curious child, I began to pound my parents with questions such as; “Why do I have to take medicine?” or “How come I can’t go swimming in the summer time?” even “Why do I go to the hospital a lot?”
The Explanation
That is when my parents came clean and explained to me that I have an ailment called Sickle Cell Anemia/Disease (SC). Sickle Cell is a blood disorder that affects the hemoglobin, the molecule in red blood cells that delivers oxygen to other cells throughout the body. Each of my parents has 50% of the disease called the traits and it is hereditary. Luckily for them it does not affect them nor does it affect any of my siblings.
I suppose I ended up being the unlucky one unable to dodge the bullet. Children feel pain in various areas of their bodies when blood vessels get clogged up with ‘sickle’ cells. The pain can last for a short amount of time or several days. It might hurt a little bit or a lot. When this occurs, it is a sickle cell crisis. (Crisis referring to time of trouble). Of course, with me still being a child at this time, it was a little too much to take in all at once. But I knew it was not good news at all. I can only imagine how saddened my parents were when they first discovered that I was diagnosed with this disease. So should I be saddened too?
Getting Older
As I grew older, I started to gain more knowledge about what I have. Everything started to make sense. But even at that, it is challenging to live life at times with the pain that occurs now and then. Sickle Cell interferes with my schooling due to frequent hospitalization. I find it very difficult to catch up with school work and be on track. The question “Why me?” Was a frequent thought in my mind. This is especially when I was going into crisis. But now, I don’t say such things anymore. I know Sickle Cell is something I have to live with for the rest of my life. There is nothing I can do to stop it or make it go away.
At this point of my life, I learn new things about my ailment such as how to control it. About a few years ago, a new medication came on the market called hydroxyurea (HI-DROX-EE-U- REE-A). You take it according to weight and it minimizes the amount of crisis. I have to avoid going to the hospital frequently. Every month I go to a walk-in clinic to get blood work done since I am on this medication. The reason I do that is to ensure that I am taking my medication accordingly and so that the doctors will know how effectively my body reacts to the medication.
Restrictions
Having sickle cell does restrict me from doing many things. I cannot go swimming in the summer time because the water is too cold for me which would make me go into a crisis. I have to dress 10 times warmer in the winter time just so my body can preserve heat. Also, I cannot participate in any strenuous physical activity or else my body will give out and trigger pain. There are many things that others do that I wish I could do but I know it is not possible. I also know that it is for my own good so it does not bother much.
Marching On
Despite all the trials and tribulations, I am grateful my parents told me what was going on with me. From then on, it made me more certain, aware, and mindful of myself. There are many other people in the world that have bigger problems than I do. It isn’t the end of the world, so I do not dwell on having sickle cell. I am thankful for who I am. If I put my mind to it, I know I can be all that I can be. I know I cannot change what I have, but I can stay positive and look forward to brighter days and a brighter future.
