It’s like someone hitting me with a hammer

‘It’s an Invisible

Friday (19 June) was World Sickle Cell Day, which is designed to raise awareness of a genetic blood disorder. Ahead of the day, ANNE WELSH told Emily Bright what it’s like to live with the chronic condition

‘W hen I have a sickle cell crisis, I get pains and twitches in my arm,’ explains Anne Welsh. ‘It starts little by little, but suddenly it gets much worse, like someone hitting you with a hammer. I can barely breathe.’

Sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disorder, inherited from both parents, which affects about 15,000 people in the UK. It stems from an abnormality in haemoglobin, a substance in red blood cells responsible for carrying oxygen round the body.

The disorder means that the cells can change from a circular to a crescent moon or sickle shape. These cells stick together and block smaller blood vessels, disrupting the flow of oxygen and causing chronic pain in what is known as a sickle cell crisis.

A crisis may be severe, sometimes lasting up to a week. It can be triggered by stress, not drinking enough water or significant changes in temperature.

The lack of oxygen flowing round the body can also lead to anaemia, tiredness and shortness of breath. In the long-term, sickle cell disease can cause organ and bone damage, serious infections, strokes and even, in some cases, early death. Anne, who lives in London, turns 40 years old this year, and is no stranger to these bleak prognoses. ‘Doctors told me: you’re not going to live past 21, have kids or a fulfilling career,’ she says. ‘As a child, that was very daunting.’ She recalls when the disorder first manifested itself. ‘Although I first had symptoms at six months, I was officially diagnosed with sickle cell when I was three,’ she tells me. She says that sickle cell disease has not only had health implications, but has also affected her social and educational development too. ‘It was difficult, growing up. I was always sick and missed classes, which affected my grades. Kids bullied me, and teachers didn’t know how to treat me, so I felt insecure.’ At school, almost constant sickle cell crises meant that she was unable to study and she left without any GCSEs. Nevertheless she went on to achieve a master’s degree in investment management from Cass Business School in London. Yet, even after qualifying, her sickle cell disease made it difficult for her to find employment.

Giles Lascelle

‘People need healing at different levels’

GILES LASCELLE tells Sarah Olowofoyeku about equipping people to survive well after being abused

THE trauma of being abused as a

child can have a significant impact on a person’s life, whether or not the abuse was reported or remained hidden. Psychotherapist Giles Lascelle works to help people deal with the effects of abuse.

‘There aren’t that many comprehensive resources for survivors,’ he says. ‘There are booklets and leaflets that do a quite superficial job of helping survivors understand their own processes. Then you get a big leap to academic books that go into way too much detail and are hard to read.’ To address the imbalance, Giles wrote

Breakthrough: The Art of Surviving.

‘I wanted to write something for survivors that was accessible but also went into a little bit of depth. I wanted them to know that the ways they respond are understandable and to recognise the reasons for their responses.’

The book explores the impact that being abused can have on people, as well as the ways in which they can deal with shame, get help, create healthy boundaries and restore their experience of relationships. Each chapter ends with resources for the survivors as well as a pause for thought and questions for supporters of those who have been abused.

Breakthrough also discusses how the Church can be a safe space for survivors.

Giles hopes that it can offer such safety,