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Hello everyone, my name is Isowa Odiase, aka Chocho, Isochocho. I always remind myself that I am the daughter of the KING. I am His special one, He has brought me and kept me alive so far to make a positive impact to everyone I am in contact with through love, health, wealth and perfect self-expression. To show the wonderful works of God and inspire others to know Him. This is my mission (which is a work in progress).
I am a wife to my loving husband and a mother to 2 blessed kids.
So, why are you reading this?
About three years after I was born, my parents found out that I have Sickle Cell Disease. Apparently, I started showing symptoms of the disease when I was 4-5 months old; my left knee was swollen, and this was one of the signs. I couldn’t move my knee for weeks, but eventually got better and started walking at 9 months! From then, I would show signs of swollen belly (spleen), feel aches and pains in my joints, limbs, back, waist, teeth, basically everywhere, have constipations, acute chest, pneumonia and more.
When I have a Sickle-cell crisis; which could happen whenever (very scary, tough, frustrating). I would feel aches and pains in my joints, limbs, back, waist, teeth, basically everywhere! The next step is to go immediately to the ER or call 911, be admitted for about a week or more, for the most part, and then recover for another 2 weeks or so, and maybe not get another crisis until the next month or so and the cycle continued.
Why Warrior?
My definition of a warrior is - a person engaged in some struggle/obstacle, a survivor, strong, courageous, determined, almost perfect, will always persevere in the end, a HERO.
Over the years people who suffer with Sickle Cell disease have been known as Sickle Cell Warriors (hence Isowarrior 😉). I completely APPROVE!
We are strong, determined, and blessed!
So what is Sickle Cell Disease?
Sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disorder that disrupts red blood cells. So typical red blood cells contain hemoglobin A (HbA), while people with sickle cell disease have red blood cells with mostly hemoglobin S (HgbS), an atypical type of hemoglobin. The atypical "S" hemoglobin causes red blood cells to become sickle-shaped (crescent-shaped). This makes the sickle-shaped cells difficult to a pass through small blood vessels causing so many symptoms (sometimes fatal) in the body. There are several types of sickle cell disease;
sickle cell disease (SS disease, most common),
sickle hemoglobin C (SC Disease),
and sickle-cell beta thalassemia (Sß+ or Sß0 disease)
Common complications include: anemia, pain crises, and infections.
A sickle cell crisis can be extremely painful and require instant medical attention.
Severe complications include: pneumonia, acute chest syndrome, stroke, and other life-threatening complications. These complications are not limited to any age, and can occur in infants with sickle cell disease as well.
I am using this platform and my Non-for Profit called ISOWARRIOR to: · Raise awareness · Advocate and Support other Sickle cell patients/warriors (financially, emotionally, spiritually) · Create various Infusion centers (IV fluids/Hydration) for Sickle cell patients in the rural areas in Nigeria · Assist the medical community to research for a Cure · Collaborate with other Sickle Cell organizations. ISOWARRIOR will also raise funds through various programs and initiatives. A GoFundMe has been set up to initiate ISOWARRIOR’s mission. I also have a short video of my story, sickle cell, Isowarrior and a mini interview with a friend, who is also a warrior.
Sickle Cell is a universal problem and any support through donations will be very helpful to in order to improve lives and make the world a better place for generations to come.
Thank you so much for your help thus far.