“I graduated college last year. It was kind of hard because I got tired a lot, and I missed some days of classes. Some teachers were understanding, but it was kind of hard because there was a time where I missed one class, but it almost messed my grade up.
Right now I’m not working because I’m going through a spinal cord injury. They diagnosed me with something called Brown-Sequard syndrome. It affects one side of my back so I kind of have trouble with walking sometimes, sitting, or going to the bathroom. I try to rest as much as I can, and try to not overdo it.”
In regards to advice for others living with sickle cell:
“Be patient and pace yourself. Don’t compare yourself to other people. Not everybody with sickle cell has complications, like, more than others because for some people, sickle cell may not affect them as bad as other people. [For example,] after I had a stroke, I didn’t have any other issues after that.”
-Jahshaun, an adult w/SCD beta thalassemia