Zuleika

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“I haven’t had that very good experience because [Hospital] is the center for sickle cell. Those doctors, they have no bedside manner. Some of the nurses, they don’t have bedside manners either. They talk about us. They don’t even walk away.

They talk about us like we’re not there.”

“We get the name calling. They stereotype us. They either say we’re here just for the drugs or we’re just drug addicts. We just want that boost, so they don’t know.

For instance, me, I sometimes don’t take my medicine and feel okay. But if I don’t take it, things going to be worse. Then when I take it, I feel so sick before I get a relief from the pain. Plus, the pain don’t go nowhere because we live with this pain 24/7. It eases a little but it does not go away.”

“My hope is right [here]. My little babies. I want to see her grow up. I want to see her go to college. I want to see her babies, so that’s my hope right there. That baby keeps me going. My son too, because he’s my only son.

When he was little, I did push myself for him, to give him a life. Sometimes it was hard. I mean, up to this day, he gets scared sometimes when I get sick. I try to keep him calm and let him know that I’m okay. I’m going to be fine. I mean, God put me here for a purpose.”

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