Adekunle Kosoko, a Nigerian singer popularly known as Adekunle Gold, has revealed his struggle with sickle cell anaemia.
Sharing his experiences, the 38-year-old musician said, “I still have crises.”
In a bombshell newsletter to fans on Friday, the ‘Sade’ crooner wrote in detail how the disease, compounded with his parents’ dire financial status, negatively impacted his childhood
He also narrated how he once suffered a painful crisis that made him plead to God to take his life.
“It feels liberating to finally be able to share this part of my life with you, to finally be able to speak my truth. When I talk about how I struggled to get to where I am today, I need you to know that my struggle was real.
“I begged God to take my life because I couldn’t understand what I did to deserve the pain my body and mind was under,” he said. “As usual, with sickle crisis after some days, the pain subsided and God asked me; ‘That end you begged me for, do you still want it?’ Of course, I said no, and that was when everything changed for me.
While lamenting the pain caused by the disease, Adekunle Gold disclosed that he has been on lifelong medication since he was five years old.
Advising the public on the importance of genotype testing, he noted: “My vision is to make more noise about it because a lot of people don’t know about it, and the important organisations are not making so much moves regarding it”.
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“Where sickle cell is more popular or where people know it most is my country Nigeria. And it happens when an SS matches an SS. And that’s why knowing your genotype is very important because the point is you should not bring many more kids that have sickle cell.
“Unfortunately for me, my parents are sickle cell and they brought me to the world. The first time I ever heard of sickle cell was I would fall sick every time with my joints paining me. So when we talk about crisis, it is pains on your joints, my legs and sometimes stomach. It’s really crazy.
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“The first time I noticed that I had it was the night I fell sick and my dad wasn’t home and my mum put me on her back and we walked miles to the hospital. I don’t remember how old I was, maybe like 5 or 7. That was when the doctor told me about it, and they told me that I will be taking folic acid and B complex for the rest of my life. And that’s my life for a very long time even till now.
“I still have crises once in a while but not as bad as I had it when I was a child, you know maybe because I have found a way to take care of myself more properly. And I’m grateful to God for the resources to be able to do that.”