Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common form of an inherited blood disorder. Specifically, it causes the production of abnormal hemoglobin (a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body). You’re born with SCD. Therefore, it is not something you catch or develop later in life.
Launching Emeli’s Smile Sickle Cell Foundation
On September 29, 2018, famed UK cake designer, Nora Brown, launched a sickle cell foundation called Emeli’s Smile Sickle Cell Foundation. Nora Brown, whose real name is Nora Emeli Molongwe, is a UK based Cameroonian Philanthropist and CEO Nora Brown Cakes. Nora is also a sickle cell disease patient, warrior, and advocate. In fact, Nora has lived with and managed the disease for over 35 years!
Pain, Stigma and Career Challenges as a Result of Sickle Cell Disease
According to Nora, her life has not been an easy journey. Indeed, she has had to deal with numerous sickle cell crises and associated complications such as leg ulcers, bone infections like osteomyelitis, chest infections etc. Also a mother of four beautiful children, Nora describes labor pains as milder than sickle cell pain. In addition, she also talks about suffering from stigmatization as a result of SCD. Particularly, people have called her “a walking corpse” and told her she was “punished by God with SCD.” Unfortunately, Nora’s challenges did not end there. She equally faced career challenges. Nora tried several company jobs but was unable to keep any steadily because of her high absence levels due to constant crisis from SCD.
Taking your destiny into your owns hands to defeat Sickle Cell Disease
To overcome the challenges, Nora decided to take her destiny into her own hands and start cake decorating. Today, she is an excellent self-taught cake decorator and winner of multiple cake decoration awards. In her own words, “each time I decorate, I put in my best to show that love can come out from pain.”
Today, Nora coaches other sickle cell warriors and does live videos and social media campaigns to raise awareness on SCD. Through her foundation, she intends to offer support, education and financial assistance to SCD warriors in Cameroon. Without a doubt, her resilience to the SCD is one to reckon with.
Please like and follow the Emeli’s Smile Sickle Cell Foundation Facebook page, Twitter & Instagram and support the foundation as they work toward fulfilling their mission.
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