SS: The reality of living with Sickle Cell Anaemia
I know when a lot of people hear the initials SS or the full name Sickle Cell Anaemia, they will flinch, some will raise eye brows and others will be gripped with worry, concern or some other form of anxiety. And if some day they are told they are SS they will certainly freak out, wondering what society will say, how they will be treated by their peers, friends, colleagues, etc. But why is this so? Sickle Cell Anaemia (SCA) also known as Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) a genetic disease which affects mostly people in Africa and in the West Indies and or people with genetic backgrounds from these parts, has often been looked upon as a mystery disease; with some tribes attributing it to sorcery, others treating the children born with it with suspicion or distaste. So many clichés about the disease which are not true but which over the years have been spread around and accepted by the public as true. So what exactly is Sickle Cell? Sickle-cell disease ( SCD ), also known a