In a world where sickle cell patients barely live for 50 years, 93-year-old Nigerian Sickle Cell anaemia survivor, Alhaja Ashiata Abike Onikoyi is indeed a living testimony of the popular saying that anything is possible.
In an interview with The Nation, Alhaja Abike recounted her painful but triumphant experience of living with sickle cell anaemia in the early 90’s where doctors barely understood how to fight the disease.
She said: “Doctors see me and wonder what a miracle I am. I was taken to the hospital; then they still brought all sorts of concoction from the Igbo tribe, from Yoruba people and from Hausa part of the country, because it was a very serious sickness. I just took everything that they gave me. They would cut me on every part of my body but I gave myself to them because I wanted to live.”
“They called me abiku and several other names, but thank God things have changed today. Also, the government is doing everything within its power to enlighten the people about the disease.” she concluded.
Photo Credit: Getty
