SCW Video: Don’t Call me a Sickler!

Don’t call me a sickler! Watch this video to learn why … and you can see more videos too.

Hi this is your Sickle Cell Warrior. I finally decided to make a YouTube don’t call me a sickler video. There has been something on my mind. Someone left a message on my Facebook page and I realize now that I may have been too hard on her. She madea a statement that the infected … there are 2 people dealing with sickle cell the infected and the affected. It offended me. I really took offense to that because  I don’t consider sicke cell a disease that has affected me. Sickle cell is not affecting me like HIV would for someone else. I consider it a genetic condition.

In addition, I don’t feel like people who are born with or have other genetic conditions consider themselvels infected. People who have cancer don’t walk around saying the same things. Have you ever heard of someone with cancer saying I am a cancer-ler? Or someone with diabetes saying they are a diabetes-ler? No. No one says I am a multiple sclerosis-ler. So why should people with sickle cell disease be referred to as sicklers? I reject that label. As far as I am concerned, do not refer to me as a sickler. I will flip out. You can call me anything you want, but don’t call me a sickler.

We have to change how we address and change ourselves. When you have that term in your head, you perpetuate the myth and the reality. This don’t call me a sickler video will help us stop this practice.