These Genes

Growing up I was very insensitive and ignorant. And I believed the world revolved around me. So since that was my disposition to life I wasn't aware that I had people around me that were special. Ada. My friend was virtually my family friend, we attended the same church and her mum was my aunty. If u are Nigerian you wil know that there is a difference between your mothers friend and your "Aunty" that isn't your Mothers sister. Aunty. Elaine was in my mum's church committee and all that fan fare so ada her siblings and I with my siblings sometimes had 2 wait after church for those unending meetings. Cut the story short. Ada was illogically beautiful. She had really long hair. And we all know how hard that feat is to acheive as a Nigerian female. Plus her eyes were really cute and she had dimples and no pimples. Anyways we got into uni and studied the same course which meant I already had a friend before I got 2 uni not bad. Our mum's came for matric and we still have loads of pictures. Another Ridiculous thing we do at home. Keeps pictures forever. Anyways so along the line since we were good friends plus family friends only naturally I was asked of her whereabout when she missed school. The thing is she was always gone just before school closed and she never resumed on time. There were also times she just left in the middle of school. I always assumed she was forming big girl. I don't know why but it never occured to me that she was SS. She was to happy and had 2 bubbly a personality to be SS. She didn't have the yellow eyes. Neither was she tiny or sickly looking she had nice rack and what not. It was a huge blow when I found out. And sadly I found out the last semester of Uni. We had just resumed and we happened to have the same bag. One brown abi yellow tiger print bag from primark that caused all our classmates to call us sisters. Well most of year four she was in and out off school. She missed the 1st semster exams and by then everyone had started hounding me for answers. Still I had no idea.
Come the 23rd of November Ada was no more. The day had started as normal except Ada's close friend M had been pedaling a rumor asking people to pray for her that she had a Crisis. I was sooo furious. Where did she get this smelly gist from. Excuse me if any one shoulda known about this, it would have been me. I even saw her mum during the harvest AND she gave me food to bring back to Ada. Ada did not have crisis. She was just sick. So offcourse we all know how news spreads. Everyone kept saying it. On and On and I went to call her younger sister who happened to be a year below me in school and I couldn't find her. People said she had gone home. I rememeber seeing the kind of my car in school but I shrugged it off. My driver couldn't not be in school at 8pm. Mummy dosent even let me come to school later than 4pm cus of her car.

Well cutting this story short. Last night the car came to get Uju. Ada had passed. She had renial failure. I guess that has something to do with her kidney system. She had been having crisis on and off in the last six months. She was the first child of her parents. She was 21 years old. And she had passed. In pain. Because of the SS.
I have had other encounters with SS patients but this is the closest I have experienced. My friend is AS her elder sister is SS. She said its the most difficult thing to watch you sister helpleSs and not be able to do anything.

I couldn't help Uju pack Ada's things. It was too hard for me.

Now I am still not so learned about this whole sickle cell thing. But I know some people who are. A certain twitter persona @Toptosyn has an event called "Jeans for genes" I don't know the procedure for this event. But it takes place on d 27th of march 2010 I think its at Swe bar. I would love to attend. My schedule won't allow me. But what I do know is that this SS thing needs more awarness and support. This isn't like HIV or an STI that people supposedly bring upon them selves its a condition they are born with.
An uncle of mine married an SS lady. Aunty K is one of the nicest people I know. She isn't domesticated simply because she can't do the work but she tries so hard to fit in. *sigh*
She told me that before she went in to labour people had raved about the labour pains. She said she went in had her kid and came out, she didn't experience the pain people were raving about. She said "the pain I experienced during my labour is not up to 1/10th of a crisis pain"
I have menstrual pain. And I want to DIE. When it hits me without having my meds. So I can't imagine what these people go through. For more information about this event go to
www.jeansforgenes.blogspot.com.