Popular Nigerian singer Adekunle Gold has opened up about his lifelong battle with sickle cell disease, revealing that he still experiences painful crises despite managing the condition for decades.
In a recent video interview shared on social media, the 38-year-old recounted his experience living with the illness and the episodes he has endured since childhood.
Sharing his story, he said, “I still have crises.”
The singer explained that he has been on medication from a young age, describing the pain that comes with the disease. “I have been on lifelong medication since I was five years old,” he said.
“Unfortunately for me, my parents are sickle cell and they brought me to the world. The first time I ever heard of sickle cell was I would fall sick every time with my joints paining me. So when we talk about crisis, it is pains on your joints, my legs and sometimes stomach. It’s really crazy,” he continued.
He recalled one of his earliest experiences with the condition. “The first time I noticed that I had it was the night I fell sick and my dad wasn’t home and my mum put me on her back and we walked miles to the hospital. I don’t remember how old I was, maybe like 5 or 7. That was when the doctor told me about it, and they told me that I will be taking folic acid and B complex for the rest of my life. And that’s my life for a very long time even till now,” he added.
Adekunle Gold said that although he still experiences sickle cell crises, they have become more manageable with proper care and lifestyle adjustments.
“I still have crises once in a while but not as bad as I had it when I was a child, you know maybe because I have found a way to take care of myself more properly. And I’m grateful to God for the resources to be able to do that,” he said.
He also used the opportunity to call attention to the importance of genotype testing. “My vision is to make more noise about it because a lot of people don’t know about it, and the important organisations are not making so much moves regarding it,” he said.
“Where sickle cell is more popular or where people know it most is my country Nigeria. And it happens when an SS matches an SS. And that’s why knowing your genotype is very important because the point is you should not bring many more kids that have sickle cell,” he added.
