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MEET SICKLE CELL My goal is to one day own from house chores.
It’s also quite worrying when
a state of the art hospital in
you are hospitalised and you
Cameroon where warriors will
WARRIOR NORA have free medical care in ex- need to worry about how your
kids are doing. My children
treme cases.
are constantly troubled and
At the moment the funding
MOLONGWE come from the events she or- will ask questions like “mum-
ganises and donations from
my what’s wrong, why are
people of good will.
you crying, is your leg hurt-
It is not easy living with sickle ing?”. Sometimes it breaks
Despite the many lives sickle cell disease take on a yearly basis, cell and being a single mum my heart seeing that.But this
it is not one that we hear about a lot. This disease is a killer that raising four children, is quite is the way being a Sickle cell
should be taken serious. This is what Nora, the sickle cell war- demanding. There are days patient influences my life and
rior thought when she started her Sickle cell foundation “Emeli’s my body just shuts down that of my children.
Smile Sickle Cell Foundation back in 2018.

What is Sickle cell actually? When did you find out where you were a sickle cell patient?

Sickle Cell Anaemia is a genetic blood disorder “I found out I was sickle cell from cell when I was just 11 months old. I
that affects the red blood cells. Instead of the childhood, because I took daily had swollen hands and feet and was
red blood cells being round in shape, sickle red medicines, folic acid and I started crying a lot, so she had to rush me to
blood cells have the shape of a Sickle. These asking questions to my mother. But hospital.”
sickle cells get trapped in blood vessels and mum said she discovered I was sickle
blood the smooth flow of blood. This gives rise
to excruciating pain known as sickle cell crisis.

Is there a difference in being a patient in Cameroon

or in Europe?

Nora was born and raised in Cameroon. Being a sickle cell patient living in
Cameroon is very different compared to one living in Europe.

Tell us about Nora Sickle cell in Cameroon is still characterised by stigma and poor health
My name is Nora Molongwe, popularly known care. Some families can’t even afford food to eat. This situation is getting
as Nora Brown a . I am a 37 year old mother of worse by the day since the conflict better the English & the French. So we
4 ( ages 16, 12, 5 and 2) , Sickle cell warrior and try to help the best way we can with the resources we receive.
advocate and founder of Emeli’s Smile Sickle
Cell Foundation. This foundation helps in In the UK healthcare is free. In other parts of Europe insurance policies
creating awareness, education and subsidies cover the cost etc but in Cameroon the patient has to pay for everything,
health care cost & offer FREE medications to including the blood.
sickle cell warriors.
I started this foundation in 2018 as a form
of giving back to the community and helping What is the best advice you can give another person
the low income families affected by Sickle cell with Sickle Cell?
after haven lost my two siblings from the dis-
ease. Eat well, drink plenty and get enough rest.
NORE BROWN

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