Popular Nigerian singer, Adekunle Gold has opened up about his lifelong battle with sickle cell anemia, revealing that he still experiences crises despite managing the disease for decades.
In a recent video interview shared on social media, the 38-year-old artist recounted his experience of living with the disease and the painful episodes he has suffered since childhood.
Sharing his story, Adekunle Gold said: “I still have crises.”
He explained that he has been taking medication since he was little, revealing the pain that accompanies the ailment.
He said: “I have been on lifelong medication since I was five.”
“Unfortunately for me, my parents are sickle cell and they brought me into the world. The first time I heard about sickle cell anemia was that I always got sick and my joints hurt. So when we talk about crises, it’s pain in the joints, in the legs and sometimes in the stomach. It’s really crazy.”
He narrated one of his first experiences with the disease.
“The first time I realized I had it was the night I got sick and my father wasn’t home and my mother put me on my back and we walked miles to the hospital. I don’t remember how old I was, maybe 5 or 7 years old. That’s when the doctor told me and told me that I would take folic acid and B complex for the rest of my life. And that’s how my life has been for a long time, even until now,” he added.
Adekunle Gold noted that although he still experiences sickle cell crises, it has become more manageable with proper care and lifestyle adjustments.
“I still have meltdowns from time to time, but not as bad as the ones I had when I was a kid, you know, maybe because I found a way to take care of myself more properly. And I’m grateful to God for the resources to be able to do that,” he said.
He also took the opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of genotype testing.
And he added: “My vision is to make more noise about it because many people don’t know about it and important organizations are not taking as many actions about it.
“Where sickle cell anemia is most popular or where people know it most is in my country, Nigeria. And it happens when an SS coincides with an SS. And that is why knowing the genotype is very important, because the point is that we should not bring many more children who have sickle cell anemia,” he added.
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