My Love For Dogs Vs Sickle Cell Anaemia - A True Story

This narrative was written by Mr Ajayi Babajide Olusegun on how his love for dogs kept him alive from sickle cell disease. Read the interesting story below.

I am a native of Ekiti State, born in Lagos state, on the 19th of August 1991, have always loved dogs. I and my parents never knew my genotype was SS, was made to believe it was AA at the hospital where I was born, my first sickle cell crisis was when I was 6yrs old.

I was playing soccer with my friends in front of our block, was about to score a goal when I felt a sharp pain in my thighs and my back, had to sit down thinking the pain would go , it did for some seconds and came back slowly, building up , really couldn't comprehend what was happening, I started feeling so much pain, started crying, couldn't stand up to go home because my thighs were hurting, had to scream for my friends to carry me home, they all asked ' who beat you?' lmao , and I would reply saying ' the pain is too much' several times, neighbours came around, they didn't understand, it felt like I was being possessed because touching me would hurt me and make me scream, they all tried there best to comfort me till my Dad got back from work, He saw me and I could see the confusion on his face, he rushed me to the hospital, the nurses took my vitals and the doctor examined me and said it was malaria, was given series of pain killers, injections before I could calm down, my dad had always suspected it was more than malaria but who was he to argue with the doctor, so he kept close watch on me.

A couple months past and it happened again, also while playing soccer, it didn't warn me, it just happened, have never felt such pain in my life, it was terrible, my mum was home, neighbours came around again, called my mum and she carried me home to apply ROBB a popular brand of balm at that time, she thought the pain would reduce after sometime since she applied it but I kept screaming like a person undergoing deliverance in church, then she knew this wasn't just a case of leg n back pain, she carried me to the hospital, I was on drip, malaria treatment and pain killers for 2 days before I was fine, but this time around I knew in me this isn't malaria, for a 6yr old I was too inquisitive, so I stopped playing soccer indefinitely and wanted to find out what was making me feel so much pain......

I think like 9 or 10months had gone by but I remember it was a month to my next birth day, was going to clock 7yrs old, Then it happened again on a Saturday during breakfast, after eating my favourite meal yam , with pepper spiced with corn beef, I had a strange feeling cos I had been eating yam but was eating corn beef for the first time, moment's later, the pain was around again, I was just screaming the word 'hospital' several times, my younger brother ran to my parents room to call them, I cried so much, tears didn't drop from my eyes at a point, was rushed down to the hospital again, was given injections but it didn't work like the last 2 times, this time around the pain stayed longer, the pain killers didn't work on time.

I was screaming on the hospital bed , the doctors had to prescribe a stronger pain killer for me, but it took them 2 days to get it, I felt I was going to die, my aunt massaged me all over to help reduce the pain which made me calm for a while but whenever she removes her hand we start with the traumatic drama again, so my parents took shifts on who to massage me at each point till the pain killer was administered with other treatments I presume. 

I was so sad and depressed when I recovered, I felt I was being punished for something I didn't do... Trust me it was horrible I can't even pray for my enemies to feel such pain.

Was so traumatised I stopped eating, meat, chicken,beef, turkey etc I became what I'll call a naija vegetarian because I blamed the meat for what happened, what did I know I was just 6yrs going to 7yrs at the time.

I had always loved dogs, had a neighbour who had 2 dogs suzie and chelsea, would buy biscuits for them and all, because they were both females, anytime they had pups, would go and play with their pups and buy biscuits along to give either suzie or chelsea, basically anyone of them that had pups at that point in time, the owner 'the ogunleye family' encouraged me to get one but my parents didn't permit it because we were living in a flat then and they felt I couldn't handle the responsibility but they suspected the love and passion I had and still have for dogs reduced my depression and anxiety.

I had it in mind I was going to die soon, after some months I dared to eat corn beef again because I wanted to be sure if it was the corn beef that was causing it, I tried it and it happened again but this time I was prepared, had told my aunt to take me to the hospital but she wasn't aware of my plan, she was living with us back then, I got to the hospital, the nurses knew what to do already, the doctor came and told them what to do, so I didn't feel so much pain this time and then I concluded I was allergic to meat..... Hehehehe...

I avoided sporting activities and was vegetarian, was chilling till I clocked 11yrs old, it happened but this time is wasn't by any form of stress or food, I had a bath with cold water and the whether was cold, was about wearing my clothes when I screamed JESUS!!!! The sharp pain I felt in my legs, thighs especially running up to my spine was unimaginable, I fell to the floor and was naked screaming n moving like a mad man, was lucky my aunt was at home, because we didn't have any telephone then, there would have no one to contact, my aunt tried to massage me but it didn't work, so she had to rush me to the hospital, it was intense, I was on drip, medications etc, by the time my parents got to the hospital, I didn't have the energy to talk was just crying, I could feel my heart pounding so fast , I was almost praying for death to come quick, jeez, but something happened, my aunt told me 'Suzie and Chelsea are waiting for me at home , get well soon so you would go n play with them' then my sorrow increased because the thought of leaving this earth without seeing those two dogs made me sad for a while but gave me courage and guts to scream in my heart to say I WILL NOT DIE!!! GOD really had a plan for me.

I was having happy thoughts of those dogs and the love I had for them both gave me a purpose to live, I gradually got better, it was the thought of those two local dogs that got me going through that traumatic experience at the hospital, i got better after some days and went home, was so excited when I got home, I went to see Suzie and Chelsea, but could only find Chelsea, was so happy I took a pack of biscuit from home to give them, I called out for Suzie for some time with no response, till I knocked on the ogunleye's door to ask for Suzie only for them to tell me Suzie died a day before, she had a bone stuck in her throat and it wasn't easy to remove, any attempt to remove it would hurt her, I was so sad, didn't talk to anyone for a while...

It was September, I gained admission to jss1 at Doregos Private Academy, principal was Mr. Olajide Adebayo at the time, during the first term a general genotype test was carried out for Jss1 students, blood and urine samples were collected from each student, it was all fun and all till the end of first term when everyone got their medical reports and academic results, that's when I saw that my genotype was SS.

I was confused and all, till I got home and showed my parents the results, I could see the confusion on their faces. My parents took me to 3 different hospitals apart from the one we use , to confirm my genotype and they all came out with SS..

I was confused, sad and depressed and it all made sense to me, have had class mates who died of the same thing and was always pitying them, little did I know I was also SS, I was depressed again for some time, would play with Chelsea in the evenings to cheer me up for some time till I go home.

At night I cried without letting my parents know what I was going through, was fixed in my mind that I was going to die before I leave secondary school, Till one day something happen, my dad's friend who was a bricklayer( uncle gbenga aka Fregene) then, brought a white and brown puppy for me, I was so excited I forgot for a moment why I was depressed and sad, uncle gbenga had known about my interest for dogs right from time, I was so happy, I gave the pup a bath and fed her for almost a week without my parents knowing because they wouldn't approve and uncle gbenga didn't tell them, God just used him to give me that pup which brought a lot of joy to my life, I named the pup jasmine, she was a local dog (mongrel).

So after some time I couldn't hide her again, I placed her on the dinning table for my parents to see , when they got back, my dad was so mad at me, his driver and the ogunleye family had to beg him and make him realise this made me happy , so he eventually calm down with my mum and that's how my dog owning days began and had more dogs over the years and in some ways God has used dogs to make me stronger, the love I had for dogs wasn't a coincidence right from time, my doctor still tells me i don't look like a SS patient.

I didn't have crisis for 10yrs after jasmine stepped into my life with her paws, oh! Am more enlightened now on sickle cell diseases / sickle cell aneamia, only ur blood cell is sickled but the rest of you is strong, only you can make yourself weak, don't get me wrong, I had partial crisis from time to time but with the information I have and enlightenment, I didn't even have to go to the hospital, I was able to get my body back to normal in 15minutes. 

Now am 24yrs old ,an architect and an upcoming dog breeder, founder of AJÁAJÍDÉ KENNEL , a graduate from the University of Lagos, Nigeria... Empower yourself with information.

Please if you are SS endeavour to marry a person that has AA genotype, being SS doesn't make you less fortunate, back then the enlightenment wasn't so much but now there are sickle cell foundation's and clinics everywhere and also my love for dogs really played a large role in helping me over come depression and crisis, find your passion , turn ur weaknesses to ur strength and with God you will prevail in Jesus name. Amen.

P.S- don't get me wrong I believe and have seen God perform miracles, heard about so many whom testified that their genotypes changed, pray and believe it is not your portion and God will do it like HE has done mine, am a living testimony... 

- AJAYI BABAJIDE OLUSEGUN