Living with sickle cell disease in sub-Sahara Africa

Sickle cell disease can affect anyone, but there are treatment options to relieve patients of debilitating pain, to prevent life-threatening infections and complications. And there is hope for a cure and a bright and healthy future through a bone marrow transplant for patients such as little Manuella from Cameroon. This is her story, told by her mother.

We live in Cameroon, a country with very low incomes and low level of medical coverage. Today, we have two children, but my husband and I have already lost a child to sickle cell disease. When our son was sick so often, we were very afraid. He was tested and luckily, he only is a carrier. When I was pregnant again after a long depression, it was such a great joy that I refused to get the fetus tested for the disease, knowing that my husband and I are both carriers, therefore at risk of having another child with sickle cell disease. Just one week after I gave birth to my little girl, she was diagnosed with sickle cell disease. This was a very hard blow for us. Manuella was quickly put on antibiotics and folic acid but at the age of four months she had the first episode of severe systemic infection which happened again almost every three weeks including arthritis of the hip with severe anemia at the age of around six months. We almost lost her. It was then that we came into contact with a mother of a patient with sickle cell disease who connected us to Dr. Faulkner. We were in doubt at first, but had no other options but to throw this bottle into the sea and hope. Dr. Faulkner and his team at Cure2Children did everything possible and free of charge for us, and another miracle, a ray of hope has been given to us: Our family was offered free compatibility testing by shipping buccal swabs to DKMS Germany, and Manuella's elder brother turned out to be 100% compatible. We travelled abroad and my son donated his stem cells for his little sister. Manuella had her bone marrow transplant in July 2021 and is recovering well. We are overwhelmed with joy and would like to thank the whole team, and in particular Dr. Faulkner who has never spared any effort to consult us remotely.