Sickle cell anaemia
is when someone has inherited the sickle haemoglobin from both parents.
I was diagnosed with sickle cell at two years old.
It was a big shock for my parents especially,
but growing up with it, it was very tough.
Sickle cell anaemia is commoner among people of African origin.
It's a genetic condition which mainly affects Afro-Caribbeans
but it does affect other Europeans like Cypriots, Italians etcetera.
Normal red cells that carry the haemoglobin round the body
are round, flexible and can pass through all the blood vessels,
even the tiniest of the blood vessels.
When somebody has sickle haemoglobin,
it doesn't absorb as much oxygen,
so when there's less oxygen in the red blood cells it changes shape,
so it becomes a sickle shape or a banana shape, it becomes quite sticky,
and they will stick together and jam up the blood vessels.
The parts of the body not getting any blood supply become quite painful
and that's what a painful sickle cell crisis is.
Your legs hurt, your arms hurt, you can't walk or do anything.
A sickle cell crisis can last as many as a few days or longer,
so it just depends on where the crisis is
and what part of the body is affected.
It's very unpredictable.
It could be in your knees and you might take some painkillers
and then it could move to your chest.
If it's the chest it's dangerous.
It affects the lungs, which affect the heart.
Usually it's the joints and the bones, where the very tiny blood vessels go.
But any part of the body can be affected.
It makes you tired as well,
and if you're tired, physical things are hard to do.
For somebody with sickle cell,
they are breaking down their red cells very, very quickly
so the spleen is overworked and doesn't fight infection very well.
That's why people with sickle cell disorders
have low resistance to infection.
There are some common triggers for a sickle cell crisis.
Dehydration, not having enough fluids,
infection is one of them,
stress and over-exertion.
If it's sunny one day and then the next morning it's raining,
that's when you're more susceptible to have a crisis.
Management of sickle cell is much better now because people are more aware.
(Junior) I manage my sickle cell with mainly antibiotics
like folic acid, penicillin to prevent infections,
and then it's just painkillers, really.
Drink lots of fluid to keep well hydrated.
Eat well, a well-balanced diet that should include fruits and vegetables.
When your body says, "I'm tired," then rest.
So you have a lot of time off school
and because it affects a minority, mainly Afro-Caribbeans,
a lot of the schools don't research it, they don't know about it.
Sickle cell anaemia does affect people's lives quite dramatically,
especially if they have lots of crises.
People look at you in a different way.
People don't sometimes see there's a person trying to do their best
under difficult circumstances.
Sometimes they look at you and think, "This person's just complaining."
You can imagine a child in school who has crises.
Even if he's not in hospital but can't get to school, he's missing out.
(Junior) It affects your career, it affects your ambition,
it affects your money, it affects your wallet.
It affects everything, basically.
With sickle cell disease there is some support out there in the community,
especially from your local health centre.
They have support from the Sickle Cell Society,
from the local sickle cell centres,
from others, peer groups.
It's definitely important to know other people with sickle cell
because from doing that you feel like you're not alone.
People with sickle cell disorders who have grown up to be doctors and lawyers
may not have gotten there as soon as they wanted
but they got there eventually.
It is a challenge to actually live with the condition
but it's a challenge that all of us really relish
and it doesn't stop you from enjoying your life,
it doesn't stop you from getting a degree, I've got a degree.
Anything you want to achieve you basically can achieve.