Sickle Cell Warrior Recounts How He Lost Two Siblings To The Condition, Seeks Succour

A 35-year-old sickle cell warrior identified as Ndubuisi Igwala has come out to recount his ordeal about living with the chronic condition and how he lost two of his siblings to the fight for survivor posed by the ailment.

According to him, he had lost two siblings, one at 18 years old and the other a baby to the complications of the chronic condition.

Naija News gathered from The Punch that Igwala, who is a 2016 Biology Education graduate from the University of Benin hails from Delta State but was born and bred in Benin City, Edo.

Sickle cell is a hereditary blood disorder, caused by an abnormality in the oxygen-carrying protein haemoglobin found in the red blood cells.

This abnormal haemoglobin unlike the normal ones is sickle in shape, therefore making it not flexible and can stick to vessel walls, causing a blockage that slows or stops the flow of blood.

When this happens, oxygen can’t reach nearby tissues, which typically manifests as acute or chronic pain, especially in the bones and joints.

Acute pain, which is more common, can be severe and last from hours to days, and this painful period is referred to as ‘crises’, which is the hallmark of the genetic disease.

The condition is associated with other physical complications, including anaemia, jaundice, infections, stroke, gallstones, and kidney disease among others.

Recounting his ordeal living with the condition, Igwala narrated that the condition gave him some complications, which led to the amputation of his hand.

He said, “Sickle cell anaemia comes with different kinds of complications. My bones were affected. Along the line, the bone got infected and the only way to keep me alive was to amputate it so that the infection would not spread to my heart.”

He revealed that the amputation happened in 2018, and the hip replacement surgery followed in 2019.

The warrior while speaking about living with the condition said “I’ve not been anything. I’ve just been at home. I go to the hospital every day to dress my hip.

“Currently, my hip is bad. What caused the hip issue is that I did hip replacement surgery in 2019 and the implant only lasted three years.

“Along the line, I got an infection on the hip. Then a boil grew there and it opened up on its own with pus coming out from it. So I’ve been dressing it since that time till now.

“It has been my mum that has been taking care of me for a long time. She’s the one that feeds me, washes my clothes, and takes care of me. I’m her only surviving sickle cell child. My other two siblings died of sickle cell complications.

“One died at 18 years while the baby died at six months.

“My parents are both AS. When the issue started, my dad left my mum to marry another woman. The children he keeps giving birth to keep dying. So he left for another woman.”

He also mentioned that he was suffering from a bone infection known as Osteomyelitis, noting that he spends ₦4,000 daily to dress the wound on his hip and N60,000 monthly for other medications.

Speaking on his means of survival, Igwala said, “For some time now, it has been some people online that have been supporting me financially, in taking my medication and treatment. They’ve been trying their best the way they can.

“I’ve done three surgeries in the past. I’m even supposed to go for the hip surgery but due to the condition, there’s no way it can be done till the wound is healed and free from infections.”

The warrior advised intending couples on the need to be aware of their genotypes before making any moves.

He said “I’ve been advocating for people to check their genotype before starting any relationship because the sickle cell can actually destroy any happy home.

“Even if the home is a very wealthy home, a sickle cell can actually remove peace from that home.”

Donations can be sent to the account below:
Account number: 0137030380
Bank: Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank)
Account name: Ndubuisi Igwala
Igwala can also be reached on 08075759941