Recently, there has been a new trend of taking ORS for Sahur. People are now of the habit of drinking the oral rehydration salts mixture during or immediately after the pre-dawn meal in Ramadan. This habit is more prevalent in Kano State, even though other states have...
12 Things to Do During Sickle Cell Awareness Month in Nigeria
This Is What I Learned About Vaginal Yeast Infections While Interning At A Hospital
Have you heard of Vaginal Yeast infections? I ran into an old secondary school classmate at the university clinic where I interned. She came in with a medical report for a test to be carried out. Upon carrying out the test and dispatching the results, she...
Should I Take Pain Relievers for Cramps?
Many ladies experiencing dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation) have asked this question over and over again, "Should I take pain relievers for cramps?” Some have received “Yes" but have been battling with the question "What then should I take? Some have received “No"...
The Rise Of Aphrodisiac Sale In Arewa
Kayan Mata translates as "women's property." This category, Kayan Mata Hausa encompasses all of the products used by women. However, aphrodisiacs are more commonly referred to by this term. Aphrodisiacs are substances that arouse or are thought to arouse sexual...
Dear September… this is a month dedicated to raising awareness of sickle cell disease, celebrating the achievements of survivors living with sickle cell and it entails things to do in sickle cell awareness month in Nigeria.
What is Sickle Cell Disease?
Sickle cell disease is a genetic illness that affects the red blood cells due to an abnormality in an oxygen-carrying protein called haemoglobin. It is genetic because it is inherited, passed on from parents to their offspring (children).
This causes pain, discomfort, and complications to the carriers which is termed “sickle cell crisis”. It is followed up with strong painkillers to alleviate and control the pain.
When is Sickle Cell Awareness Month in Nigeria?
Following sickle cell day which is on the 19th of June, September is a month dedicated to the nation.
September is National Sickle Cell Awareness Month which is aimed at focusing attention on the dying need for more research and treatment for the disease.
What Is the Importance of Sickle Cell Awareness Month?
This was founded to increase knowledge and understanding of the disease. In addition, to comprehend the challenges, and impacts faced by the carriers, and of course their families. It also helps in telling us things to do in sickle cell awareness month in Nigeria.
The importance of this month is to educate and inform individuals about the struggles and complications patients go through. Alongside, their accomplishments and how they go about their daily lives.
What are the Things to Do in Sickle Cell Awareness Month in Nigeria?
Humanity should live. And as such, if you want to be involved, these are things to do in sickle cell awareness month in Nigeria:
1. Donate Blood to Support Warriors
“It’s rewarding and refreshing to know you have helped save a life”
“Give Blood. Spread Love.”
This here tells you how much your act of kindness will be making a huge impact and difference in someone’s life.
Donating blood takes at most an hour and with this hour, you’re helping someone control pain, discomfort, and complications.
Besides, donating blood has so many benefits.
2. Educate Others on the Disease and Its Impact on Lives of the Patients and Families
People live in the unknown when it comes to sickle cell disease. It must be that they heard about it but never truly know what it entails. I was one.
As a result, organize conferences and seminars to help educate and inform others about the disease and its impacts on their lives.
These programs can also be held among sickle cell patients as a way of uplifting them and recognizing each other.
3. Get Tested and Know Your Status Are Things to Do in Sickle Cell Awareness Month in Nigeria
As the month implies, a month of “awareness”, now would be the right time for you and your partner to get informed about your statuses.
Remember, knowing your status early leaves no room for “I wish I had known” or “I wish we didn’t”. We’ve seen that sickle cell disease is genetic and is passed on from parents to their children. As a result, please do not marry a carrier of sickle cell disease.
Know what condition you’re in with your future partner, be informed.
4. Support a Foundation with Finance by Donating If You Can
There are a lot of sickle cell foundations founded by sickle cell patients and others. All these foundations are aimed at improving the lives of carriers and as such, equipped laboratories and research centres are highly needed.
Bone marrow transplant/stem transplant is the only known cure for sickle cell disease. Nigeria as we all know is under-developed and as such, donations are highly needed to meet up with the goal.
Remember, your kind donations go a long way in life and in the hereafter.
Foundations like Safiyya Sickle Cell Foundation are some of the organizations you can support.
5. Advocate for Better Treatments, More Research, Clinical System and Well Equipped Laboratories
There are advocacy foundations in Nigeria solely focused on educating and helping people with sickle cell disease. Moreover, it focuses on letting them know that they are not alone and promises a productive life for them.
6. Organizing a Walkathon
Patients are advised to limit strenuous activities but we all know how exercising is very vital in our day-to-day lives. A walk-a-thon is an event where patients and participants exercise either by walking or running to show support to sickle cell patients.
As a result, there should be enough supply of water at the event and if possible, a medical team. The bottom line is there shouldn’t be strenuous activities for the patients.
7. Shaving or Dying the Hair Are Things to Do in Sickle Cell Awareness Month in Nigeria
This is a bold choice but it goes a long way in showing your support to sickle cell patients. You could either shave or dye the hair.
People like to go viral with this support and as such, it spreads awareness and prompts people to also show support.
8. Run an Event to Raise Funds in Your Community
This can be done by passionate individuals who want to show support. A network of families and friends can put up an event to help raise funds in their community. After the event, the funds are given back as donations to the foundations.
Can you be that network of friends and families?
9. Simply Wearing Red to Show Support Are Things to Do in Sickle Cell Awareness Month in Nigeria
This is one of the simplest things to do in sickle cell awareness month in Nigeria as this doesn’t involve donating.
This simple act of kindness could be wearing red socks or a red shirt to show support to the carriers.
10. Encourage and Talk to Others to Show Support and Raise Awareness Too
Tell a friend to tell a friend! That’s how it works here. Tell your friends what you know about this disease and encourage them to talk to others about it.
You can never know where this news will reach and whose life you’ll be saving just by talking.
11. Use Social Media as a Means of Support and Raise Awareness
Social media has indeed taken over the world and for that sole reason, this is a means of showing support to carriers. Sending and commenting on posts to convey a heartfelt message of how you see and recognize their struggle.
12. Send a Basket of Love to Friends with This Disease or visiting Them Are Things to Do in Sickle Cell Awareness Month in Nigeria
Sending a basket of love is definitely a thing to do in sickle cell awareness month in Nigeria. This kind of activity will be immensely appreciated as sickle cell patients have a different pattern of self-care.
Read: Ultimate Tips to Living with Sickle Cell Anemia
As a concerned friend, you should encourage them to eat healthily, watch out for warning signs like fever. If you can’t be around them often, send a basket of love with essential treatments and diets.
Conclusion
To all the sickle cell patients out there, I see you and I know the pain and discomfort you feel. I see you as warriors and survivors at the same time.
As a result, I take my hat off for every struggling time you’ve encountered and for every time you rise back up.
If you’re reading this, I pray and hope you now know the things to do in sickle cell awareness month in Nigeria. In addition, if you’re doing humanity differently, let me know in the comment section.
Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls
Kahli Gibran
·
Popular Reads
8 Great Foods That Help You Sleep Better At Night
Sleep is one of the best gifts given to man by the Creator. Imagine how life would be if there was no night at all, and one has to work for a good part of the 24 hours. Scary, right? Well, apart from getting an opportunity to rest, sleep also has several other...
1 Out of 4 People in Arewa Suffer from Mental Conditions And This Is Why
The rambles of traditional medicine sellers through loudspeakers is the hallmark of northern Nigerian markets. We buy a myriad of regimens to strengthen our physical health, but the noun ‘mental health’ sounds unfamiliar to our intellects, even though many people...
12 Healthy Ways to Keep Ulcer Patients Free From Attacks
Ulcer medically means a wound that does not heal and becomes ulcerated. It is a sore that forms in the lining of the stomach or the first part of the small intestine and it is researched to be majorly caused by helicobacter pylori (H. pylori); a bacteria that attacks...
5 Effective Ways to Improve Your Body Posture
Knowing your body posture and how to increase body posture in general is very essential for the human body. Posture is the position in which you hold your body while standing, sitting or lying down. A good body posture involves training your body to stand walk, sit...
How to Easily Recognize an Emotional Abuser
Emotional Abuse, unlike physical abuse, can be complicated to identify. While physical abuse often comes with obvious signs, emotional abuse isn't that obvious especially when you are the victim as you must be in some kind of relationship with the abuser. Emotional...
Avoid Slimming Teas. They Are Bad for You!
There is a current craze about having a slim figure. This is especially common among female folks. As a result, it has led many to the use slimming teas. The effectiveness of the slimming tea is the center of most adverts. But wait, is slimming tea really effective?...
Best Fruits for Healthy Skin
Ever heard of the old adage, "You are what you eat?" Well, it has never been truer! As time goes by, exposure to ultraviolet rays can cause premature aging of the skin and a sign of sun damage such as wrinkles, leathery skin, sunburns, skin cancer, and the list goes...
If You See These Signs, It Is Time to Take a Break
Managing your work, family, and personal life, trying to find balance in the daily hassles you encounter can become overwhelming to your body and mind. In response, your body develops certain symptoms, these physical symptoms are collectively identified as signs of...
10 Surprising Foods That Are Bad for Your Breath (No. 5 Will Shock You)
You have probably taken several measures to avoid bad breath, including regular brushing, flossing, rinsing with a mouthwash, and many others, but it all does not seem to be working. The culprit could be right under your nose – the food you eat! Here, we are going to...
How to Avoid Mouth Odour During Ramadan
Ramadan, the best month of the year is just a few days away and perhaps you are already thinking about how to do away with the unpleasant mouth odour that usually accompanies the fast. Well, you're in the right place, as this article seeks to tell you how to prevent...
Crocodile Hotel Kaduna Review and Detailed Guide
...
Bristol Palace Hotel Kano Review and Detailed Guide
...
The Tinubu and Abiola Connection
...
40 Fancy Boxes Lunch and Lunch Bags for all Ages and Genders
...
As Nigerians Head to The Polls, By Salim Yunusa
...
3 Kannywood Stars Contesting Elections in 2023
...
Naira Swap and Buhari’s Endless Search for A Legacy
...
The Top 10 Entries from the Mediahooch Creative Writing Challenge
...
The Best Kimono Styles to Own in 2023
...
What Next for Falalu Dorayi After Gidan Badamasi?
...
You May Also Like…
7 Benefits Of Weightlifting You Should Know About
Weightlifting refers to any activity that requires lifting heavy objects either as a sport or exercise. As an exercise, there are numerous health benefits of weightlifting. We...
Check Out These 8 Weight Loss Exercises You Can Do At Home
Over time, I have come to realize that you don’t necessarily have to register at a gym or join a weight loss community to lose weight. You can achieve your goal in the comfort of...
12 Effective Tips That Helped Me Lose Fat Quickly
When it comes to how to lose body fat quickly, there are so many steps on the internet, some would tell you to go on a high protein diet, some would tell you to work out...
7 Things You Can Do to Avoid Constipation
Constipation is defined as when stool moves too slowly through the digestive tract. It also occurs when stool cannot be eliminated effectively from the rectum, which causes the...
These 12 Foods are Good for the Eyes
Eyes are the window to the soul. Without our vision, almost everything comes to a halt. Without the eyes, you won’t be able to read this today. Good eye health starts with the...
How to Lose Weight Entirely by Changing What You Eat
Weight loss has been on the trend nowadays. People wanting to get rid of body fats, belly fats, and so on to be fashionable, or to just lose weight because of people body shaming...
7 Failproof Ways to Stop Bedwetting in Children
Amalala Mai pitsarin kwan ceYa tsula ya koma tsulawaDa ya tsula sai da ya kai Sokoto The above is a very popular song used to shame those who bed wet as kids. They are asked to...
If You Notice These 7 Signs, You Might Have Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is an abnormal growth of cells in the mammary gland. Mostly affects the inner lining of the milk duct and the lobules that supply them with milk. However, the signs...
6 Natural Ways to Avoid Diabetes
The increasing rate of diabetes is alarming, resulting in about 1.6million death yearly, with its major percentage amongst developing countries, Nigeria included. Both young and...
0 Comments