Sickle Cell Warrior & Advocate, Abimbola Ogunmekan Reaches Out To SS Patients With A Message Of Hope
As humans, our greatest test is being able to help someone while going through our own storm. This is what Abimbola Ogunmekan represents to the many lives she is saving through her WarriorStory Initiative; a nonprofit community of people living with sickle cell diseases.
Abimbola is a sickle cell warrior herself. Interestingly, she is helping other warriors fight and win. Through her platform, she provides education, counseling, and advocacy for sickle cell health and shares stories of warriors with the aim of inspiring others and also provide free medical service for the first three months.
In an interview with Guardian Woman, the beautiful warrior shares her inspiring story, her experiences as a regular hospital visitor, how she’s sensitizing and creating awareness about the condition and inspire other SCD warriors.
Childhood Influence
GROWING up, I always wanted to be in the medical field, in fact, I wanted to be a Medical Doctor, but as you can see I didnāt end up becoming a Medical Doctor. I remember always mixing āherbsā any time any of my family members was ill and trying to ātreatā them lolā¦ All the while growing up I didnāt know I have Sickle Cell Disorder, I just knew I had medications I had to take on a daily basis, my mum made sure I had to take them regularly and I remember I used to have pain episodes that most times landed me in the hospital but I dint know what it meant.
It wasnāt until I got admission into the university that I found out during the medical screening that was when I understood what the medications and the occasional pain episodes. Thankfully my parents are comfortable enough to enable me access to good healthcare.
Inspiration behind Warriorstory Initiative & Toyo Meditech
I started WarriorStory Initiative as a way to get away. I had just finished my Post Graduate in Biomedical Engineering and I dint have a job but I had been a bit opened about my health condition on social media, so I used to get DMs from people asking questions like āI heard you guys die at a really young ageā, āis it true your crisis ends at the age of 21?ā, āI heard I can catch SCD by touching someone that has itā, etc; those DMs made me realize how much people were still ignorant about Sickle Cell Disorder, so I decided to use WarriorStory Initiative to educate people on this disorder, to inspire other SCD warrior as well as to create a safe space for SCD warriors so they know they arenāt alone in this battle.
Sickle Cell Disease sensitization
To be honest, we still need a lot more sensitization and awareness in Nigeria. A lot of people (even the educated ones amongst us) are not āhealth literateā; itās not just Sickle Cell Disorders but other health conditions.
Youād be surprised a lot of people still think people living with SCD canāt amount to anything or canāt live long; I mean there are people living with sickle cell that are 30, 60, 70, 80 and even 90years.
Thereās Aunty Toyin Adesola who is over 50 years, thereās Mama Alakija, she is 94years, thereās also Bukola Bolarinwa, Oyesola Oni, Timi Edwin, Tobi Olusesi, Ibunkunoluwa Imabong-Abasi Ajayi, Ik Oleka, Halimat Mogaji, etc; these people are young and are doing very well for themselves in their varying careers and businesses.
Other projects and activities
I recently launched a multidisciplinary led sickle cell clinic. In the course of advocacy and sensitization, I realized a lot of warriors canāt access affordable healthcare services and the ones that can afford donāt want to attend clinics because of the long processes in the hospital.
I gave it a thought and bounced the idea off with some friends in the medical field as well as a consultant hematologist who introduced me to other consultants in other areas of medicine that care for Sickle Cell patients.
The clinic allows SCD patients to have access to different consultants (ranging from hematologist, orthopedic surgeon, psychiatrist, psychologist, plastic surgeon, and ophthalmologist) in the same place and on the same day.
One Warrior story that has motivated the most
Hmmmā¦. I recently stumbled on a video where one of my favorite YouTubers; Sisi Ope opened up and shared her journey living with sickle cell. I could relate to every single experience she shared; from regular hospital visits, cancelling appointments/hangout last minutes, disappointing people, encounter with people that donāt understand, etc., but what inspired and motivated me is how she always picked herself up and bounced back, she didnāt let the condition put her down nor stop her from achieving whatever she wanted to achieve.
Work Challenges
My job can be quite demanding sometimes, most times physically draining, like climbing fleets of stairs, supervising, facing Lagos traffic and the distance from home to work, etc, which can trigger a pain crisis but Iām learning to balance my health, knowing when to slow down and take a break.
On giving up
Yes, there has been a couple of times I felt like giving up, especially when I have crisis back to back, or my health gets in the way of me achieving some things, sometimes I just get tired of fighting, but Iām grateful for the wonderful support system I have been blessing with; they have always supported and encouraged me even when I feel like giving up.
Being a Woman of Rubies
I believe Iām a Woman of Rubies because my life, my work no matter how small or short has inspired at least one person and make them know that they can also do whatever they want despite living with Sickle Cell.
To Women living with SCD
Live and always do what makes you happy. Living with Sickle Cell doesnāt mean you canāt get married nor have children or achieve your goals. These things will happen in their own time just believe.