Hey Reader’s! Some things people don’t really think about when it comes to living with a disease: is the fact that the person living with that disease, has to first come to terms with having it. In my case, Sickle Cell is a hereditary disease, so I was born with it; that doesn’t mean I just automatically accepted it. When I was younger I just assumed I was normal like everyone else, which I am, but health wise, I’m not. I would always go about my daily life when I was younger, without a care in the world. I never worried about the temperature, staying hydrated, getting sick, etc. I mean I was honestly too young to really think about that stuff, but it wasn’t just that, I just didn’t see the need for it. The moment I came to terms with the fact that I had Sickle Cell, and wouldn’t be able to live a normal life…I can remember it like it was yesterday. I was in the 5th grade, we were in the middle of class when one of the school administrator’s came in. She told the teacher that she was looking for students whom the teacher thought were good, to go on a field trip. They both started looking at us students, and when the admin pointed me out, the teacher immediately told her no because: “she’s a good student, but gets sick and may not make it”… There is no way to accurately describe just how that made me feel. I knew I got sick sometimes (back then it wasn’t often), therefore missed days and a few other field trips, coincidentally. But up until that point, I never grasped the type of effect this disease would have on my life, and all of the limitations I would have to face, because of it. I feel like that year: 1997, was the year my carefree childhood ended. Up until that moment I lived my life like there were no consequences to my actions. That was my reality check. It just sucks that I had to learn something so life changing at such a young age; it was something that needed to be learned, but dang…I’m not going to say that from then on I knew where to draw the line for what I could and couldn’t do, because that’s just not the case, at all. But I did understand from then on that I wouldn’t be able to live a normal life, like the majority of people. In one life changing moment, I realized that I wouldn’t be able to do all the fun school activities, (like go on field trips) act as carefree as my fellow school mates, be looked at as just another normal kid…the list went on and on in my mind. For years after that, I still struggled with balancing school/school activities, and knowing when I needed to just rest. But, I definitely understood that I had a disease that would put limits on every area of my life. Sobering. The Lord put this disease in my life for a reason though, so I deal with it and keep on pushing!
