As the world marks Sickle Cell Day, Bungoma celebrates Harriet Nasambu, 25, a resident of Mayanja village who has turned her personal battle with the condition into a mission to help others. 

Drawing from her own experiences living with the disease, Nasambu is now dedicated to supporting young patients by helping them access life-saving medication and care. 

Her efforts have made a meaningful difference in the lives of many children in her community, offering them hope, support and a chance and a healthier future. 

Having been diagnosed with sickle cell condition at the age of one year, Nasambu has lived with the pain and stigmatisation from her peers and the community. 

Nasambu narrates that throughout her childhood, she was a frequent visitor to the health facility whenever she experienced a crisis. 

“Sickle cell crisis is a painful episode caused by sickle-shaped red blood cells blocking blood flow in small blood cells,” she explained, adding that in most cases, this requires immediate emergency care, leading to hospitalisation. 

IT graduate 

Despite her health struggles growing up, Nasambu has managed to hold her head high with the support of her parents and is now an IT graduate. 

She notes that her high school life was by far the hardest experience, with the early cold morning that, according to her explanation, triggers the sickle cell crisis. 

“Sickle cell crises are usually caused by sickle cell triggers. And everyone has different triggers. Mine is cold. I went to a boarding school in high school, the cold showers in the morning and attending morning preps really affected me, triggering frequent crises,” she said. 

According to her, the best way to manage the crisis is to know your triggers and manage them. 

Now successful and stronger at 25 years old, Nasambu has defied all odds through her advocacy to help reduce stigma surrounding the sickle cell disease and provide sensitisation to her community on what the disease manifests, debunking the narrative that it is caused by witchcraft 

“The stigmatisation of sicklers’ faces is insane. People in our communities know little to nothing in regards to sickle cell and this causes them to isolate children that present with the disease,” she posed. 

“There is an urgent need for communities to be educated that it’s not witchcraft but just a disease like any other and can be managed with proper medication,” she added. 

Every Wednesday, she makes her way to Mayanja Health Centre, where she meets with area community Health Promoters (CHPs) to educate them on matters of sickle cell. 

“I collaborate with Community Health Promoters (CHPs) because they are the ones who regularly engage with households, making it easier to identify sickle cell warriors and find ways to support them in accessing medical care,” she said. 

Excess blood 

Nasambu, however, says that a section of the warriors she has interacted with who have started experiencing menorrhagia (a heavy menstrual flow) during loose excessive bleeding, which is a threat to their lives. 

She says that currently, five young sickle cell patients in her village have access to immediate medical attention when a crisis arises. 

“Young sickle warriors are vulnerable to crisis; when it arises, they cry endlessly, and that is where I come in,” Nasambu added. 

Dr Dickens Lubanga, a paediatrician at Bungoma County Referral Hospital (BCRH), says that heavy menstrual bleeding, medically known as menorrhagia, can affect any woman who has begun experiencing monthly periods. 

He notes that this condition does not discriminate and can also affect patients living with sickle cell disease. 

“Menorrhagia is a common complication among women, and even sickle cell patients are not exempt. It is a serious condition that can only be effectively managed in a hospital,” Lubanga stated. 

He warned that when a sickle cell patient experiences heavy menstrual bleeding, it can result in excessive blood loss, which endangers their health due to their already compromised blood system. 

According to Dr Lubanga, several underlying factors can contribute to menorrhagia in women. 

These include infections such as chlamydia, pelvic inflammatory disease and uterine fibroids (a growth in the womb) that can interfere with normal menstrual cycles and lead to severe bleeding. 

He also highlighted that certain contraceptives, particularly intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUCDs), can trigger heavy menstrual bleeding. 

“When these IUCDs are inserted, they may cause bleeding that is sometimes mistaken for menorrhagia in other patients,” he explained.