#sicklecell

Supacell was absolutely fire. Well overlapped storylines, well placed controversy, ties to current events; plenty of great, note-worthy moments.

As a mixed person with some not-supportive family members due to racially charged differences, I appreciated Rodney’s storyline. Michael and Dionne’s conversations felt relatable. I appreciated Sabrina’s healthcare experience.

The Top 5 Longreads of the Week

In this Top 5:

* How sickle cell patients are pressured into sterilization * How opioid restrictions harm the terminally ill * The enshittification of bowling * The sudden ubiquity of steroids * Why sperm is a hot commodity

The pain just lingers & I feel like if I make the slightest movement in bed, I’ll feel uncomfortable.

My joints ache. I’m tired but can’t sleep & I just hope I feel better in the morning 🤞🏾🌝

I heard about this a little while ago. I'm glad the US has started the first trails

Sickle cell disease is an inherited disorder. It affects the shape of red blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout the body. 

Red blood cells are usually round and flexible, so they can move easily through blood vessels. In sickle cell disease, some red blood cells become crescent or sickle-shaped. These cells also become rigid and sticky, restricting the blood flow.

The pains are critical, to the point where i look up

at heaven's floor and pray for time to be reversed

so I won't even be born, instead of living with this curse

The fear in me when my forecast predicts rain. So I

sit, I think, want to confide in my ink but crescent

shaped cells 🌙 stops me before I even get started

Standing still, staying stagnant, waiting for a movement

in the right direction but moving opposite at the side of my

reflection cuz it's reflecting the ugly on the inside

The DNA that I can't hide

Sickled cells hardening and clotting vessels that wrestles for

the oxygen they deserve, and the peace that we need. It's

crippling pain, strong enough to bring a grown man to his knees,

and it hurts not only our physical, but our mental too

How would you feel knowing there's no one quite like you, to be on

the outside looking in at you, and sing time fling before your jaundiced

eyes as everyone by your side ends up passing by and you just sit there

and watch other people's success(health wise)

As i try my best but still fail is like living on earth but feels like it's hell

It's depressing

It's condescending

This disease makes the doctors and nurses deaf and blind

I'm tired but they don't hear me, i'm tired, but they don't see that,

i'm tired, but they just add meds to the already had regimen...causing

me to have cracks and strange dreams on Tylenol with codeine

Desperation to look strong and stand with my legs but might fall, due to

this medication called toradol, and these steroids are plumping my

dependency and lowering my count of self-sufficiency, but it has become a

part of me and I have no other choice but to live with it

And so, i'm growing impatient because every last person who judged me

ain't even remotely close to relating. But I don't stand to fight them, cuz

with shaking knees and fragile bones, how many punches do I get to throw

before I get knocked down by the breeze they blow with their mouths?

This disease breaks my heart to the point that I feel the blood dripping

This burden I carry is until my last day on earth. Though, it's heart wrenching

I'm being forced to accept defeat and kiss hopelessness with a beautiful smile on my face

But when the devil(pains) is facing me, I just remember that God has my back