Meet Aminat: Daughter, Student, Future Finance Mogul, Warrior

I was 8 when I found out that I have sickle cell. I remembered that I stayed in the hospital for a very long time. My parents took care of me like an egg then because I was a child who understood very little.

I am currently a high school student and it has not been easy. Being a girl that is one of the top academic students in the class, I have to work hard to maintain that position. I am in ss2 now, preparing for both my terminal exam and my external exams. During a school term, I missed two to four weeks of class. That coupled with the fact that I live in a hostel where there is so much stress, it can be very difficult. I have to stay up late in the night just to be able to catch up with school work. But I am lucky I have some teachers who understand my condition. Now it is getting worse because despite staying up late in the night to study, I still fail some tests. These failures make me cry.

My dad tried to persuade me to go into science because he wanted me to be a medical doctor or lab technician. I refused to agree because I prefer dealing with finances.  I am still a student who is aiming to become a chartered accountant.
Different Treatment

My friends don’t know my situation, but they treat me like an egg because I get sick a lot.

Sickle cell has limited quite a lot of areas of my life specifically in terms of sports. I love basketball which requires lot of strength to jump and run and I also love swimming. In my school, I was not chosen for competitions because my teachers always saw me as fragile.

Prayer helps me when I reach obstacles and so does advice from my sister. I have pains almost everyday due to lack of rest and I am trying not to lag behind in my studies. I take folic acid and paludrin as my daily medications and faradin when in pain.

Warriors, don’t allow sickle cell to define you and your lifestyle. Remember that you are created for a purpose. You are not a product of mistake and ignorance and always remember your God.