TEARS OF A CRACKED GLASS

Guess you must be wondering if a cracked glass cries, well the ones this article refers to does. 

Human beings are perfect creatures made by the very best potter, they are God's delicate creation, that's why humans are likened to glass in this article. The question at this point is 'who are the cracked glasses'? Not to put you in much suspense, they are the sickle cell victims or as we call them 'sicklers'.

         *What does Sickle Cell entails*

A quick search from Wikipedia shows you that "Sickle-cell disease (SCD) is a group of blood disorders typically inherited from a person's parent.

 The most common type is known as sickle-cell anaemia (SCA).

 It results in an abnormality in the oxygen-carrying proteinhaemoglobin (hemoglobin S) found in red blood cells. This leads to a rigid, sickle-like shape under certain circumstances. Problems in sickle cell disease typically begin around 5 to 6 months of age. A number of health problems may develop, such as attacks of pain ("sickle-cell crisis"), anaemia, swelling in the hands and feet , bacteria infections, and stroke. Long term pain may develop as people get older. The average life expectancy in the developed world is 40 to 60 years."

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of blood disorders which mostly is inherited from a person's parents, it's a condition in which there aren't enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen throughout the body.

      
Normally, red blood cells are flexible and round, moving easily through your blood vessels. In sickle cell anaemia,the red blood cells becomes rigid and sticky and are shaped like cresent moons or sickles (hence the name sickle cell).These irregular shaped cells can get stuck in small blood vessels, which can slow or block blood flow or oxygen to parts  of the body.If one parent has sickle cell anaemia and the other has sickle cell traits,then the child has a 50% chance of having sickle cell disease and a 50% chance of having sickle cell traits.
When both parents have sickle cell traits (AS),a child has a 25%chance of sickle cell disease,25% do not carry any sickle cell alleles (AA) and 50% have the sickle cell traits (AS).

As of 2015,about 4.4million people have sickle cell disease while and additional 43million have sickle cell trait.
Signs of sickle cell disease usually begin in early childhood between 5-6 months of age and the severity of symptoms can vary from person to person. Sickle cells break apart easily and die, leaving you without red blood cells. Red blood cells usually live for about 120 days before they need to be replaced but sickle cells usually die in 10-20days, leaving a shortage of red blood cells (anaemia).
Without enough red blood cells, your body can't get the oxygen it needs to be energized, thereby, causing fatigue.

      *The Patients Pains, Encounters and Struggles*

The excruciating pains sickle cell patients go through cannot be explained by mere writing or witnessing, it goes beyond the stories one is being told. You can only understand the pains of it when you're a victim to it, that's why sickle cell patients are referred to as 'WARRIORS'.
Vaso-occlusive pain which we call crisis is what every 'warrior' goes through almost all the days of their lives. These 'warriors' most times hide this identity of theirs not because they are ashamed but because the also want to be treated as normal beings by the world, they want to experience the normalcy of life which they are being denied of. They live their life and wonder if there's a future for them, if at their early 20s when they're trying to create a better future for themselves, they end up 'kicking up the bucket'. Such thoughts and beliefs has crippled most of them that they no longer struggle in life to make a difference, some of them even go to the extent of committing suicide, they give up on life before life gives up on them.

Here's a testimony of a sickle cell patient "The pains in SCD are excruciating and literally mind blowing. One moment you're talking with friends and going about your activities then all of a sudden the pain comes without warning,life slowly sucking out of you. It starts first with a part of your body (maybe leg) and before 30minutes the pain is all over your body,you can barely stand so you need support from someone or something, there's no comfortable position for you,you can't stand,sit or lie down. The pain increases with every breath you take, struggling for breath, rolling on the floor in plain tears begging God to take your life and spare you of the unimaginable pain. Pain described to be thrice more than that of a pregnant woman in labor. Bones aching like someone in chains. Your family members can't do anything for you than sit and pray that this pain episode passes away and they also get you lots of water to drink so that the blocked veins can open up & the water pushes away the red blood cells that are clogged. The only relief you get is from the fluid intake and pain medications like Diclofenac,Tramadol, Ibuprofen and the likes that helps to subside the pain then you wait and hope you get to see another light of day. 

Sometimes after taking all those opioid medications,the pain still persists then you will require an hospital admission where you are given drips(normal saline) depending on the severity of the pain and most times that is all you get because some doctors are afraid of stuffing you with pain medications because they are addictive and most 'warriors' are known to be opioid addicts. 

Living with SCD involves you take a lot of fluids and get lots of rest. You also have to take your everyday medications which includes B-complex, Folic acid, paludrine(as an anti-malaria) and sometimes multivitamin just to lessen the frequency of the crisis. 

Growing up as a 'warrior kid', I used to blame my parents for turning me to who I am,how could they be so clueless and heartless as to bring up a child with an illness such as this. Then I envied my sisters who could do everything and anything they wish to do with ease while I get to sit there in my own thoughts and world and watch my life go by. My dad wasn't so supportive(at least that's what I thought). Everytime I was in pains,all he did was to sit there and shout at me to stop crying and I'll say in tears "Daddy it's so painful,I can't bear it any longer I just want to die", and the next thing he does is to leave the room, leaving me in more tears and thinking he hates me and I was a burden to them especially him. He used to think I was possessed with an unknown spirit that comes out to torment them whenever they are happy. My mom and my sisters always stayed with and by me,my mum consoles me when am crying, she prays for me and also carries me on her back up until my university days. When the pain becomes unbearable,she tries everything in her power to make me comfortable.Sometimes when am on the verge of giving up, I find strength in my family, I find reasons to live knowing I have people to live for,people who have shown me endless love in all seasons,who have been by me even in my worse,people who relentlessly pray for me. These people are my family including my dad who have grown to love me over the years for who I am and he's very proud of the person I am becoming. All the things that I was convinced would break me,I ended up being thankful for because they made me. Stay strong,keep the faith and remain positive through your storm. Be patient and tough some day this pain will be useful to you.

My warning to intending couples out there is that you know your genotype,you have no excuse in this technological age as to bring into this world a child with SCD. Don't risk marriage with someone you are not genotypically compatible with because of love. You will greatly suffer for it,the uncertainties and risks are just too many. LET IT GO!!"
Name: Undisclosed.

This is just a tip of the iceberg of what transpires in a sickle cell patient's daily life. The pains that comes with their tears is so much to bear.

A blind eye won't be given to the parents of sickle cell patients because they also played a role in making those patients go through what they pass through. Before marriages, couples are advised to go for test and in situations where the couple's are likely to bear a child with 'SCD', they are advised not to go on with the marriage. Probably, it could be because the life of a child matters more than the happiness that could come with the marriage of the couples, that I can't answer. What I can say at this point is "wisdom is profitable to direct" Ecclesiastes 10:10b
"Faith is good; anointing is good, skills is good but wisdom is profitable to direct. You can sharpen your skills and get bath in oil; without wisdom as a companion and knowledge as your kins man, you will not be honoured" Bishop Noah Simpe.
Does wisdom demand that you go ahead with that marriage and cause your child a life of suffering? Does wisdom demand that you have your own happiness and cause your child a life with plenty restrictions and denials? Is it wise to be happy at the cost of another's life? It can be opined that patients of 'SCD' are products of love, a selfish love of their parents that surpassed the love for the child. Some might say the parents acted badly, but in fact their love is an admirable one, what we can't truly answer is 'if the love is worth the sufferings of the patient'?

Instead of answering that rhetorical question, and crying over spilled milk. It would be better to point to the fact that's there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Sickle cell victims may be fragile and vulnerable at times,the society may look at them as weaklings, they may be a burden at times to their loved ones, but we must come to understand that they didn't create their being, they're wonderfully, beautifully and potentially created by God. As Pastor Rick Warren puts it in his book 'The Purpose Driven Life', I quote "You are not an accident. Your birth was no mistake or mishap, and your life is no fluke of nature. Your parents may not have planned you, but God did. He was not at all surprised by your birth. In fact, he expected it. Long before you were conceived by your parents, you were conceived know the mind of God. He thought of you first. It is not fate, not chance, nor luck, nor coincidence that you are breathing at this very moment".
You are here on earth for something, you were put on earth to make a contribution. God wasn't joking when He told us in His Word that "He knew you before He formed you", so yes, we could say your parents made a mistake but God didn't make a mistake. He doesn't make mistakes, so to every Sickle cell patients out there you're not a mistake. To every voice telling you that you won't live above a certain age, that voice is the voice of the devil. You would indeed love to fulfil the purpose you were created for and God won't let you die before you accomplish your task here on earth. As long as you live for Him fully knowing your purpose here on earth, you'd die knowing that your job here on earth was done.
         
                      *Advice to Parents*

Parental love in the midst of all these pain goes a long way in making the child better. Providing their medications,paying medical bills which can be very expensive and loving them even when they bring tears to their eyes. Having to raise a warrior child is very tasking but showing them love goes a long way in the betterment of their health. Let them know they are not passing through the pains alone,let them look into the eyes of their parents and draw strength from them,let the warrior's pain be your pain.

                   *Counsel to All*

Encourage every sickle cell patient you know, don't bring down their hopes, encourage them to live a life of purpose for their life is also worth living. There are so many testimonies of sickle cell victims who lived over the normal average years, there are testimonies of some who's genotype miraculously changed to AA. So stand for them, inspire them to have faith, to believe in God, their story also is also capable of ending well.

So to all 'sicklers' we say - After the darkness comes the light, so stay strong, it is all for God's glory. You have a contribution to make in this world, live your life knowing fully well that you've got purpose, you're not a mistake but God's perfect creation, created beautifully and wonderfully.

Article by:
Jacinta Obilezuru and
Tsalla Emmanuel

Images gotten from Google..