Franca is on her way to the hospital, this is the fifth time in three months that her precious daughter, Frances is battling with health crisis. She has sickle cell anaemia and each time she goes through a crisis, her mum, Franca, is always filled with grief and heartache knowing it was something she and her spouse could have avoided. Now her daughter will have to miss her school exams again this term on health grounds. The agony and pain her daughter goes through each time is indescribable.
I lost a bright and brilliant cousin when he was 21 years old to sickle cell anaemia. My beautiful Biology teacher in the college also died at age 39 to the same ailment. As if that was not enough, one of my close friends in college passed away while we were getting ready for our final year due to the same ailment. Ever since then, I have taken time to know what genotype is all about and how it affects the kids one give birth to.
Why would you with genotype AS decide to marry someone with AS or SS when you know that there is a very high tendency for up to 3 out of 4 of your kids to end up with genotype SS? “Sickle-cell disease (SCD) or sickle-cell anaemia (SCA) or drepanocytosis, is a hereditary blood disorder, characterized by red blood cells that assume an abnormal, rigid, sickle shape. Life expectancy for someone with this disease is short. The term disease is applied because the inherited abnormality causes a pathological condition that can lead to death and severe complications. “(Source: Internet)
Wait, I have strong faith in the miracle working power of God and I preach it always. However, the bible advises that you do not dare such life threatening venture if your faith is not as big as the minute mustard seed. (Matthew 17:20)
I know two Medical Doctors who were in love and planned to get married but the lady declined when she discovered her future spouse and herself were both of genotype AS. She had seen patients, especially kids, go through untold pain and life threatening moments because of their genotype and so she did not want to bring kids to this world who would suffer the same fate. Her fiancé who is a strong believer in miracles told her his own genotype could change to AA before they get married. She told him to go and pray for the change to happen first and then he can come back after the change to propose to her again.
The man took it as a big challenge and prayed to God. His genotype did change to AA. His fiancée had to take the result to not less than three laboratories to confirm the change before she believed. Today they are both married and all their kids are healthy. Do not tell me love is blind. We are responsible for the decisions we make in life. Do not make decisions that will make your kids curse you tomorrow. Why birth kids to subject them to regular pain and torture? In your counseling session before marriage, medical tests and advice also count. No knowledge is useless.
Love is beautiful but marry for reasons stronger than the feelings that give you sleepless nights if you have not heard from him/her. Marry for reasons that will make you both stay together even when you do not feel those butterflies in your stomach again. Marry for reasons that will make both of you stick together through thick and thin.
A lot of marriages in the western world crash when the feelings are gone; marriages that last are beyond feelings, they have strong pillars built on values, virtues and vows. It takes dogged commitment for anything to last. It takes more than “I’m in love” to keep a relationship together forever. It is the festive period, a lot of people will meet and claim to be in love when they mingle at recreational centers and holiday spots. Be wise, be careful, do not let your mind and head go to sleep when you are in love lest you get tied down to lust thinking it is love. Let us do it again in 2014. Thanks for staying with me in 2013 and especially for voting for this blog; we won the Best Relationship Blog Award (Judges’ Choice) from Nigerian Blog Awards 2013; your vote pulled it through for us. I value you greatly.
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Oh yes yes,..this cannot be over emphasized in relationships. We must be watchful, because in the first place the bible has asked you the man to love your wife and vice versa, soo,..the love aspect is not a priority for marrying a spouse as christians, its already a settled deal. On the other hand, God has given us wisdom in cases like this. Like you pointed out, if your faith is effective, maybe after all sed and done one can go ahead, but if you know that you know dats not ur case, why not spare yourself the challenge and use those times u wud have used in trying to get your child better, in furthering the gospel, praising God and doing great things. A word is enough for the wise. Children do not deserve the struggle. I particularly am born into this kind of family, with my younger sister being the bearer of this genotype, but in our own case,…our faith and hers is effective soo, its history for us, my sister is doing better than healthy to the Glory of God. Thank you Jesus and thank you aunty Grace for this post. God bless you and soory this comment is this long,..lol
Thank you so much dearie! Your comment is not too long at least not as long as the blog. LOL. Thank God for your sister. we pray that her healing will extend to other kids going through same ordeal. God bless you!
This is profound and very timeless. Well done.
Thank you so much Coach…I appreciate you.
nice piece. I something similar happened to my very close friend, after he found out that he and his then fiance are both AS As, they had to break up, and till date he still hasn’t found his found another girl, but the decision was hard to take, it was the right thing to do.
hmm… it is not a beautiful thing to experience having kids with sickle cell. May God help us to take the right decisions. Thank you @seyismiles