BROS ME

🩸 MY SICKLE CELL TRUTH: I BECAME AN EXPERT AT HIDING THE EXIT.

Nobody taught me this.

Sickle cell did.

I learned how to enter a room and quietly notice:

Where is the nearest hospital?

How far am I from home?

Who can I call if something happens?

How long can I stay here before my body starts complaining?

Where can I sit if the pain suddenly comes?

And sometimes…

I don't even tell anyone I'm thinking about these things.

I just smile.

I participate.

I laugh.

I look completely normal.

And everybody thinks:

“He's fine.”

But inside my head, there's another conversation happening.

What if?

What if my body changes suddenly?

What if the pain starts here?

What if I can't get home?

What if I become a burden?

What if the people I'm with don't understand?

What if I have to explain myself all over again?

That is one of the strangest things about living with sickle cell.

Sometimes you're not afraid of what is happening.

You're preparing for what might happen.

And that preparation can become so normal that you forget how exhausting it actually is.

You learn to carry emergency plans inside your head.

You learn your body's language.

You learn when to push…

and when pushing could cost you.

You learn to look at a beautiful opportunity and still ask yourself:

“Can my body afford this?”

Imagine having dreams like everybody else…

but sometimes having to negotiate those dreams with your health.

That's the part people don't see.

They see the person who showed up.

They don't see everything that person calculated before showing up.

They see the smile.

They don't see the contingency plan behind it.

They see the life.

They don't see the invisible preparation required to live it.

And yet…

I refuse to let sickle cell make every decision for me.

I will be careful.

I will listen to my body.

I will seek medical care when I need it.

I will rest when necessary.

But I will still dream.

I will still build.

I will still love.

I will still learn.

I will still show up when I can.

Because being a Warrior isn't about pretending nothing can happen.

It's learning how to live even though you know something might.

Maybe that's the part of sickle cell nobody ever talks about.

Warriors, be honest with me:

Do you also quietly calculate your “exit plan” whenever you go somewhere far from home?

👇🏾 Tell me what goes through your mind.

BROS ME — A Warrior With Purpose.

🩸 MY SICKLE CELL TRUTH: SOMETIMES, REST FEELS LIKE FALLING BEHIND.

The world doesn't stop because you're tired.

Bills still come.

Messages still need replies.

Work still needs to be done.

People are still moving.

And you're lying there thinking:

“I should be doing something.”

So you get up.

You push yourself.

You pretend you're okay.

You keep going…

until your body reminds you that it was never asking for permission.

It was asking for rest.

That's one thing sickle cell has taught me the hard way:

Rest is not laziness.

Taking a break doesn't mean I'm weak.

Saying “I can't today” doesn't mean I've given up.

Sometimes the most responsible thing a Warrior can do is stop.

Because there are days when protecting tomorrow means sacrificing today.

And honestly, I've had to stop comparing my journey with people who don't live in my body.

Their 24 hours may look different from mine.

Their energy may be different.

Their limits may be different.

So I am learning to stop feeling guilty for doing what my body needs.

I may move slower.

I may need more breaks.

I may take longer to reach certain goals.

But slower doesn't mean finished.

If you're a Warrior reading this while feeling guilty for resting:

Please remember—

You are not falling behind.

You're taking care of the person who still has a future to live.

Rest. Recover. Then rise again.

💬 Warriors, be honest: Have you ever felt guilty for resting because you felt everyone else was moving ahead without you?

Tell me below. Let's make someone feel understood today.

— BROS ME 🩸 | A Warrior With Purpose

🩸 MY SICKLE CELL TRUTH: I DIDN’T GO DOWN WITH A CRISIS… MALARIA GOT ME.

For days, I disappeared from this page.

Not because I stopped caring about my Warriors.

Not because I ran out of stories to tell.

My body simply said, “Enough.”

After a long and stressful stretch of work, trying to take care of my family here and there, I eventually went down with malaria.

And it reminded me of something I already knew but sometimes forget:

Being a Warrior means learning how to balance everything while knowing your body has limits.

Work needs me.

My family needs me.

My education needs me.

And my health needs me too.

Sometimes, those four things don't agree with each other.

You finish work exhausted, but there are still family responsibilities waiting.

You want to rest, but you also have assignments to complete.

You want to focus on your future, but today still needs your attention.

And when your environment, stress, fatigue and other factors start working against you, your body can eventually say NO MORE.

That's one of the hardest parts of being a sickle cell Warrior.

You can know your body.

You can recognize your warning signs.

You can be careful.

You can try your best.

And still, sometimes, you get knocked down.

But getting knocked down doesn't mean you're finished.

I'm also working toward my degree through an online international program because I believe my future deserves investment too.

So sometimes it's:

Work → Learning → Family → Health → Repeat.

And somewhere in the middle, I have to remember that I'm human too.

That is why I have been quiet for a few days.

I needed to recover.

But I'm back. ❤️‍🩹

Malaria may have slowed me down, but it will not silence me.

I will continue speaking for Warriors.

I will continue sharing our stories.

I will continue raising awareness.

Because there are still too many people who don't understand what it means to live inside a body that can suddenly say, “Stop.”

To every Warrior currently resting:

You are not falling behind.

Sometimes, recovery is part of the journey.

🩸 I'M BACK. AND THE VOICE CONTINUES.

BROS ME — A Warrior With Purpose.

Warriors, have you ever had to choose between work, family, school and your health because your body simply couldn't handle everything at once?

Tell me your story in the comments. 👇🏾❤️‍🩹

🩸 MY SICKLE CELL TRUTH: SOMETIMES, “YES” COMES WITH A CALCULATION.

Someone says:

“Let’s travel.”

I don't just hear “Let’s travel.”

My mind starts asking:

Will the journey be too long?

Will I get enough rest?

Will the weather affect me?

Will I have access to water?

What if a crisis starts?

What if I need a hospital?

What if my body suddenly says NO?

Someone says:

“Come out with us.”

They don't know that sometimes I'm calculating how much energy I have left.

Someone says:

“Why didn't you come?”

They don't know that I may have spent the whole day fighting a battle inside my body just to look normal.

And this is the part people rarely see:

Sickle cell doesn't only take moments from you.

Sometimes it makes you negotiate with the moments you desperately want.

You want to travel—but you calculate.

You want to work—but you calculate.

You want to socialize—but you calculate.

You want to chase a dream—but you calculate.

Not because you're lazy.

Not because you don't want it badly enough.

But because your body has taught you to think about consequences before excitement.

And honestly?

That can be exhausting.

But I've also learned something beautiful.

I may have to plan differently.

I may have to slow down.

I may have to say “not today.”

But “not today” does not mean “never.”

So I'm still making plans.

Still dreaming.

Still trying.

Still living.

Because sickle cell may force me to calculate the journey…

but it doesn't get to decide where my story ends.

💬 Warriors, what is something you wish people understood before asking, “Why can't you just do it?”

Let's talk. Someone needs to know they are not alone.

— BROS ME | A Warrior With Purpose

🩸 SEPTEMBER IS SICKLE CELL AWARENESS MONTH — BUT AWARENESS SHOULD NOT END IN SEPTEMBER.

Let me tell you a story…

Tosin and Amara were deeply in love.

They had everything planned—marriage, children, a beautiful home and a future together.

When people talked about genotype, they heard the conversation but didn't take it seriously.

They thought:

“We are healthy. Nothing will happen to us.”

They were simply unaware.

They got married.

Then came their first child.

And suddenly, a word they once heard casually became a reality that changed their lives:

SICKLE CELL.

Hospital visits.

Pain.

Fear.

Questions.

Guilt.

And one painful thought kept coming back:

“Why didn't we know?”

The truth is, they were not bad people.

They were not trying to hurt their child.

They simply didn't understand the importance of knowing their genotype and getting proper counselling before having children.

And that is why awareness matters.

Because sometimes, what you don't know today can affect a life tomorrow.

To everyone reading this:

Know your genotype.

If you're planning a relationship or marriage, have the conversation early.

Get tested through a reliable healthcare facility.

Seek proper genetic counselling when needed.

And if you already have a Warrior in your family, don't hide the reality—learn, support, educate and love.

To every Sickle Cell Warrior:

We see you.

To every parent caring for a Warrior:

We see your sacrifices.

To everyone who has lost someone to sickle cell:

We remember them.

And to everyone who has never talked about sickle cell before:

This is your opportunity to start the conversation.

September is Sickle Cell Awareness Month.

But one month of awareness cannot change a lifetime of misunderstanding.

Let's keep talking.

Let's keep educating.

Let's keep breaking stigma.

Let's keep supporting Warriors.

Let's make awareness a lifestyle—not just a hashtag.

💬 Be honest: When did you first learn about genotype and sickle cell?

👇🏾 Tell your story. Someone reading your comment may learn something that changes their future.

BROS ME — A Warrior With Purpose

🩸 MY SICKLE CELL TRUTH: I HAD TO GRIEVE THE PERSON I THOUGHT I WOULD BE.

Nobody prepared me for this part.

Not the pain.

Not the hospital.

Not the crisis.

The grief.

The grief of looking at the life I imagined…

…and realizing my body may not always allow me to live it the way I planned.

I had dreams.

Plans.

Places I wanted to go.

Things I wanted to achieve.

But sometimes sickle cell changed the plan without asking me.

And I had to learn a painful truth:

Sometimes you can lose a version of your life without losing your life.

That kind of loss is difficult to explain.

People will tell you:

“At least you're alive.”

And yes, I'm grateful to be alive.

But sometimes…

I was grieving too.

Grieving the opportunities I missed.

The plans I cancelled.

The version of myself I thought I would become.

But here's what I'm learning:

My life did not end because my plans changed.

Maybe my journey looks different.

Maybe my body has forced me to slow down.

Maybe I've had to take another route.

But I am still here.

And perhaps I don't need to become the person I imagined at 10, 20, or 30.

Maybe I'm becoming someone else.

Someone stronger.

Someone wiser.

Someone with a story that can reach people I never imagined.

Sickle cell changed my journey.

But I refuse to believe that it has destroyed my destination.

💬 Warriors, have you ever had to grieve the life you thought you would have because of sickle cell?

Let's talk about it. You may discover you're not alone.

— BROS ME 🩸

♥️ MY SICKLE CELL TRUTH: PLEASE STOP CALLING ME STRONG FOR SURVIVING WHAT I NEVER CHOSE.

People see a Sickle Cell Warrior and say:

“You are so strong.”

And yes… maybe we are.

But sometimes, I want to ask:

What choice did I have?

Did I choose the crisis?

Did I choose the hospital admissions?

Did I choose to miss important moments because my body suddenly said, “Not today”?

Did I choose to watch people live freely while I had to think about stress, weather, pain, fatigue, medication, money, and the possibility of another crisis?

No.

Sometimes people celebrate our strength…

But they don't understand that many of us became strong because we had no other option.

I didn't wake up one day and ask God to make me a Warrior.

Life simply handed me a battle.

And I had to learn how to survive it.

But here is what I want people to understand:

Being strong does not mean I am not tired.

Being brave does not mean I am not afraid.

Smiling does not mean I am not in pain.

Surviving does not mean I don't wish life was easier sometimes.

And maybe the greatest thing you can say to a Warrior isn't:

“You are so strong.”

Maybe sometimes we need to hear:

❤️ “You don't have to be strong with me. I am here.”

Because Warriors don't always need applause for surviving.

Sometimes…

We just need a safe place to rest.

💬 Warriors, have you ever felt tired of always being called “strong”? Tell me honestly.

— BROS ME

🩸 MY SICKLE CELL TRUTH: THE CRISIS ENDED… BUT I WASN’T OKAY.

This is the part people don't see.

The pain finally reduced.

The hospital discharged me.

Everyone said:

“Thank God. You’re fine now.”

But I wasn't.

My body was weak.

My mind was exhausted.

I had missed work.
Missed school.
Missed events.
Missed opportunities.

And while everyone else moved on…

I was still trying to recover from what my body had just survived.

Sometimes the crisis ends physically, but the fear stays.

You start wondering:

“When will the next one come?”

You become afraid to make plans.

Afraid to travel.

Afraid to get too excited.

Afraid to stress yourself.

Not because you don't want to live…

But because you remember what your body can put you through.

And that is one truth about sickle cell many people don't understand:

Surviving the crisis is not always the end of the battle.

Sometimes, after the pain is gone, you still have to rebuild yourself.

Your strength.

Your confidence.

Your plans.

Your courage to LIVE again.

But every time I recover, I learn something important:

I may have been knocked down…

But I am still here.

And every time I choose to try again, make plans again, dream again, travel again, love again, or simply LIVE again…

That is also a victory.

💬 Warriors, what is the hardest part for you AFTER a crisis has ended?

Let's talk about the part people rarely see. 👇🏾

— BROS ME | Sickle Cell Truth
Founder A Warrior with Purpose 🪖

🩸 MY SICKLE CELL TRUTH: I DIDN’T JUST SURVIVE SICKLE CELL… I LEARNED TO LIVE WITH THE THINGS IT TOOK FROM ME.

Sickle cell took a lot from me. But it never took ME.

Nobody talks about this part.

Sickle cell didn't only give me pain.

It took plans.

It took spontaneous moments.

It took days I thought I would have forever.

It made me calculate things other people do without thinking.

“Will my body allow me to go?”

“What if a crisis starts?”

“What if I get there and suddenly become too weak?”

Sometimes, I didn't cancel because I didn't want to go.

I cancelled because I was afraid my body would betray me.

And that's a different kind of prison.

But something happened along the way.

I stopped waiting for the perfect, pain-free life before allowing myself to LIVE.

I started celebrating small victories.

Getting out of bed on a difficult morning.

Finishing something I thought I couldn't.

Laughing genuinely.

Making plans again.

Loving people.

Dreaming.

Creating.

Speaking.

Showing up.

And suddenly, I realized something:

Sickle cell had taken many things from me… but it had not taken ME.

I am still here.

Still dreaming.

Still building.

Still loving.

Still becoming.

And maybe that's the part of my story that sickle cell never expected.

It tried to teach me how to survive.

But I decided to learn how to LIVE.

To every Warrior reading this:

Don't measure your life only by the things sickle cell has taken from you.

Look at what you're still building.

Your story is not finished.

You are not just someone who survived a disease.

You are someone who kept becoming a person despite it.

💬 What is one thing sickle cell took from you that you eventually learned to live without—or learned to do differently?

I want to hear the stories we don't usually talk about.

— BROS ME