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Linden girl continues fight with Sickle Cell
By Feona Morrison
Shakira Peters
Eleven-year-old Shakira Peters was diagnosed with Sickle Cell anemia disease when she was just two. She does not know of life without Sickle Cell and therefore she does not know of life without pain.
This disease has impacted her life beyond words and she is learning everyday how to cope with it.
According to WebMD, Sickle Cell Disease is the most common inherited blood disorder.
That means it is passed down through families. When someone has Sickle Cell Disease, Haemoglobin—the protein molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the body’s tissue and returns carbon dioxide from the tissue back to the lungs—shape is abnormal.
It forms rods that clump together. This causes red blood cells to become rigid and curved and the odd-shaped cells block blood flow. It causes extreme pain, anemia and other symptoms. You are born with Sickle Cell, it is not something that you catch or develop later in life.
In Peters’s case, both of her parents carry the defective haemoglobin gene. Her mother, Nicola Peters, explained that her daughter was born healthy. However, she recalled that when her daughter began suffering from seizures, swelling in the insteps and began looking pale, she knew something was wrong.
Nicola said that she took the toddler to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) for a checkup. But doctors there, she said, were unable to make a diagnosis.
It was then that the mother took her child to the Woodlands Hospital, where doctors made the heartbreaking diagnosis.
Nicola said, “I felt very scared. At first it used to bother me. Sometimes it does really be frustrating for me. Since (age two) she has been in and out of the hospital.”
This courageous girl made it through Nursery School.
However, it was a challenging road ahead for her parents, when Shakira suffered a stroke when she was just four. Her mother recounted that she was unable to walk for quite some time. But with medication and consistent therapy she regained her mobility.
Then, again, at age six Shakira suffered another stroke which left her hospitalised for six weeks in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
According to her mother, “(Shakira) made it out and was doing well with the other patients, but now she is dragging on her buttocks. She is wearing pampers and I have to do everything for her.”
Nicola pointed out that she is always eager to assist her ailing child. She recalled that her daughter was good at cooking. Since her second stroke, Shakira has been unable to continue Primary School.
In the circumstances, her mother and relatives make it their priority to teach Shakira basic mathematics and reading skills.
Earlier this month, Shakira underwent a blood transfusion—an effective and proven treatment for severe complications of Sickle Cell. At present, she requires blood transfusion treatment once every month or other month. Her four-year-old brother has also been diagnosed with Sickle Cell.
However, his case is not as severe as hers.
Shakira’s mother is hopeful that she will be able to live a normal life once she undergoes a bone marrow transplant early next year in India, where she is scheduled to spend some 12 weeks.
Shakira’s 13-year-old sister, who is not affected by this red blood cell mishap, will be the donor for the operation.
In the meantime, her parents are still raising money to fund the operation which costs $6M, excluding airfare to India, food and accommodation. Thus far, the family has received financial assistance from the government, the private sector, and some others.
Persons desirous of assisting Shakira’s cause can make deposits in Republic Bank (Guyana) Account #766-483-5 or contact her mother on (592) 684-7683.
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