Kenyan TikToker Kayet Orwa has disclosed she is living with Sickle Cell Anemia. She has lived with the condition for 18 years.
Sickel Cell is a genetic disorder. that affects the shape of red blood cells, which carry oxygen to all parts of the body.
Red blood cells are usually round and flexible, so they move easily through blood vessels. In sickle cell anemia, some red blood cells are shaped like sickles or crescent moons. These sickle cells also become rigid and sticky, which can slow or block blood flow.
The dancer highlighted her episodes of pain on her YouTube channel, saying how it varies in intensity.
"it hurts so bad like I'd say the pain is if it's on a scale of ten, it's 100. If it's a scale of 100, it's 1000. The pain is so bad and you get the pain anywhere, it can be your fingers, your knuckles, your chest."
She was diagnosed when she was 3 years old. She is 21. She spoke about it being life-threatening
"For the longest time, I lived in fear of dying, especially after my brother's death, is when I realized that you this thing can take me."
She has five siblings with 2 of them with Sickle Cell Anemia.
Her right hand has already undergone surgery because of the condition. "I got a bone infection also just coming from the sickle cell anemia so the bone infection that I had is osteomyelitis."
"It's still kind of active and I've had surgery done through 3 times. Twice when I was a baby and at 3 years old and the most recent one was in 2020. it's not regular but it's frequent because the infection is still actively there."
She also had malaria a couple of times something she says makes it "tricky".
Kayet calls it 'my sickness'.
"Wah nakuanga mgonjwa I know I don't look sick but ya girl is sick, really sick."
Sickle Cell has a cure something she touched on adding, "It's bone marrow transplant but kufikia hiyo cure is hard coz its costly, I need someone who is going to donate the bone marrow for me,"
In Pictures: Fred Omondi finally laid to rest in Siaya County