Testimonies Of Sickle Cell Warriors

These videos were recorded a few years back, so many of these persons are older now.

Tiffany was 26 years at the time of recording this video.The doctors told her parents she would not live pass her 18th birthday but she has proven them wrong. As a child she would get sick many times. She would takes penicillin daily to prevent herself from getting a infection and causing a crisis. She describes a crisis a being stabbed repetitively with a knife in the same spot, not stop. Her brother also grew up with sickle cell disease and it was really tough for him as well. After she had her daughter who has just the trait, Tiffany would get really sick and be in and out of the hospital. She started taking a new medicine and it has being working great with her body. She has not been in the hospital for months and it keeps her healthy. She describes life as being great with her child and currently in school getting a Master's Degree is Heath Care Administration. Having a good attitude is what made her who she is now. She ends with a amazing quote by saying she has sickle cell, sickle cell does not have her.

Mike was 18 years old at the time this video was recorded. He likes to skateboard and play the guitar and many other things. He says that he experiences pain many times and uses a number scale of 1-10 with ten being most the extreme. 1-3 he able to do what he wants but any over 4 is when he doesn't like to do much or can't and stays in bed. To help with the pain he try to think about other things listen to music anything besides just laying down. He says it is very important to take your medicine and see your doctor because, that can cause you to have more pain. To stay healthy, he stays away from drugs and alcohol, and he also exercises. He says to people who have sickle cell you should not let it stop you from doing what you want, you are no different from anyone else. He always looks towards the future and to experiencing something new every day.

Damali (33) and Amiel Reid (16) are two siblings living with sickle disease. They talk about how painful having sickle cell disease. Damali said that when she was younger it was easier to combat but now that she is older it is harder to "bounce back". Lynnie Reid, their mother, says that Damali has dived into the "human side of the disease" which means she wants everyone to now about it and feel special. Amiel is more interested in the science side of it, trying to find a cure for sickle cell disease. He helped to establish stem cell research and also worked in labs. Their mother was very appreciated of the doctors that helped her and her children. Damali think that people should not die from a disease like sickle cell today and she encourages people to meet persons with sickle cell disease and see how hard it is for them to live without a cure.

Alexandria was 17 at the time of recording this video in 2010. She talks about how when she was young it was difficult for her to go outside and play because after, she would come home feeling sick. Alexandria was endured nights of severe pain because of her sickle cell and that exhausted her a lot. She describes the pain like a hammer hitting you for a long time. At 12 years old she had a silent stroke and was really scared. This when she was officially diagnosed with sickle cell anemia. She did not let it slow her down though. She continued to do well in school, getting straight A's and trying to motivate herself.