When was the last time you felt like your world was suddenly thrown into chaos, demanding all your energy and attention to just make it through?

In my posts - I will often use the word crisis . I do mean this metaphorically and physically. I love metaphors. 

The most common and distressing symptom of my disease are the episodes of pain known as - sickle cell crises. 

What happens when a person with sickle cell disease is having a ‘crisis’ ? 

Physically ( and simplistically)  speaking: 

Blood vessels are being blocked, obstructing the oxygen supply to the body’s cells. This lack of oxygen can cause the cells to become damaged or die - this leads to inflammation. When the blood vessels are blocked and oxygen can't reach the cells, it's like the cells are suffocating - they aren't getting the oxygen they need to work properly. This "suffocation" causes them to send out distress signals, which the body interprets as pain.

For the 5 year old in us…another way to understand it is - 

Imagine your blood is like a river, and your red blood cells are like boats that carry oxygen to all the parts of your body. Usually, these boats are nice and round, so they can flow smoothly through the river.

But sometimes, if someone has sickle cell disease, some of their boats turn into funny shapes, like bananas. These funny-shaped boats can get stuck in the river and cause a traffic jam. 

When that happens, it can be really painful for the person because the oxygen isn’t getting to where it needs to go, and parts of their body start to hurt. This is called a sickle cell crisis, and doctors help by giving medicine to try and clear up the traffic jam so the person can feel better.

There’s really no words to describe the pain. It’s excruciating, escalates quickly, and demands immediate attention. 

Not unlike how most of us understand the word ‘crisis’. 

Metaphorically speaking …

We’ve all had moments where something just ‘flares’ up, out of our control. It threatens our very own lives, makes us feel like we can’t breathe, and demands our immediate uncompromising attention. The only goal is to get it under control- get through it. Quickly. 

Luckily for most of us these experiences are few and far in between. The job crisis, the financial crisis, even the health crisis. It’s difficult, unforgettable , and it does eventually end.

Another way to see it understands it is like a storm in calm waters- just like a storm suddenly disrupts a peaceful sea, a crisis disrupts a ‘normal’ life. Creating chaos and urgent action. 

Interestingly enough my life as a sickle cell warrior has taught me 1) to prevent and expect the crisis, 2) how to handle a crisis  and most importantly - 3) how to recover from one.

It’s an essential life skill. Its leadership. 

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