22/07/2025
☞ is a condition you are born with, not something you catch like the flu. It happens when your red blood cells, which are supposed to be round and flexible, become hard and shaped like a sickle or a banana. These sickle shaped cells don’t move easily in blood vessels and can block the flow of blood and oxygen, causing pain, tiredness, swelling and even organ problems.
You only get it when both your parents pass on the sickle cell gene. If one parent has the gene, you don’t get sickle cell disease, but you become a carrier (called sickle cell trait), and you can pass it to your children.
If both parents have the sickle cell trait, there's a 1 in 4 chance their child will have sickle cell disease. That's why it's very important for couples to test before marriage or having children. You both might look healthy, but inside your genes, this condition could be hiding.
People with sickle cell anemia often feel very tired, have yellow eyes, experience pain especially in bones and joints, get infections easily, and children may not grow well. These signs come from the fact that their red blood cells are being destroyed too early, and oxygen doesn't reach parts of the body properly.
There’s no permanent cure yet unless someone gets a bone marrow transplant, which is very expensive and risky. But the good news is you can live long and healthy if you take care of yourself. Drink plenty of water every day, avoid cold weather, eat healthy food, take your medicines like folic acid, and go for regular checkups. Don’t skip your clinic visits.
To prevent it, the best way is to know your sickle cell status early. If you have the trait, avoid marrying someone with the same trait. It’s not about love only, it’s about protecting your future children from a life of suffering. Awareness and testing is the first step to breaking the chain.
Let’s not keep quiet. Let’s test, talk about it, and protect our families. Sickle cell is real.
Dr. Kwaku Boakye Gyamfi
