Sickle Cell Disease: I Was 4 Years Old When I Had My First Crisis (Short Story)

My Firsthand Experience With Sickle Cell Disease

It started three days before the main day. I would dream I was in the toilet and poo on the bed. Whenever I tried to stand up so as to quickly cover up, I felt weak and heavy and I sleep off immediately till I finally woke up in the morning.

Senior Tola hit me on my head (I was awake but kept quiet because I knew what I had done and was scared she would hurt me again.)

"Stand up! You have pooped on the bed again!" She shouted.

I stood up and fell on the floor immediately. I felt a kind of pain, one I have never felt before.
It was like someone was hitting a hammer on my bones; my hands, legs, and back felt so. I started crying, unable to contain the pain. Senior Tola slapped me again and dragged me to the bathroom. I tried to tell her I was in pains but I could not, she won't even give me attention so I could tell her. I continued crying.

Another senior came, and shouted at senior Tola for being mean, "Have you not pooped on yourself when you were young?" It was then I knew it was senior Bisi. She took me to the bathroom and poured cold water on me, it felt like two people hit the hammer on me at the same time. I shouted again and she told me not to cry. That was when I found the strength to talk.

"O n ro mi!" (it hurts) I cried.

"It's ok, I won't beat you" she replied.

"Eba mi faa (help me pull it)" I stretched the arm that hurts the most to her so she can pull, but as she pulled it got worse, I didn't stop crying.

Our matron came to the bathroom and asked what was going on, I could not talk, I just cried. Senior Bisi explained all that happened to the matron.

"Walk," our matron said. Each step I took did hurt and my legs shook because of the pains. She checked my temperature and carried me to the clinic, even at that, her touch still hurts. She asked me if I fell, or someone hit me or if I carried something heavy and so on. I never did any of those and I said no and didn't stop crying

She sent a staff to call a doctor in town. When the doctor arrived, she said I had a crisis and that I am a Sickle cell patient. It made no sense to me then, she gave me a cup of pap and some pills and I slept off -I knew peace.

The pains lasted for weeks. I prayed never to experience it again, I never knew it was the beginning.


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