015: Thriving with Sickle Cell - With Dr. Ojong Bate
It is well reported by the WHO that more than 66% of the 120 million people affected worldwide by sickle cell disease live in Africa. Approximately 1,000 children are born with the disease every day in Africa, making it the most prevalent genetically-acquired disease in the region. More than half of these children will die before they reach the age of five, usually from infection or severe anemia. What makes this worse is the fact that most African countries do not have the necessary resources to provide comprehensive care for people with sickle cell disease despite the availability of proven cost-effective interventions for prevention, early diagnosis, and management of this condition. This is why we need more advocacy, raise awareness and vigorously educate our community on this disease. Dr. Ojong Bate is here to share her experience living with sickle cell. This episode is heavy, emotional, educational, and sheds more light on how we can help our community to battle Sickle Cell. Hope you learn and pick some key points from this episode, and please remember to share within your circle. Meet Our Guest : Dr. Ojong Bate is a Clinical Pharmacy Manager with Walmart Health and Wellness. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy Degree (PharmD) from the University of Charleston College of Pharmacy and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics at the University of Delaware. She is passionate about health education and Sickle Cell Disease Advocacy. She is also the Founder of Brightstar Foundation; a non-profit foundation in Cameroon, Africa. The Foundation focuses on sickle cell disease education and empowerment. She is a health outcomes enthusiast and she enjoys promoting lifestyle modification in chronic disease management. Her personal interests include traveling, health education, Health strategy coaching, and business intelligence exploits. Contact Our Guest: Email: contact@brightstarnetwork.org Instagram:@dr_ojcorner Facebook: Ojong Bate Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ojongbate Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/lessons-uncovered-6967423372620181504/ Things You Will Learn in This Episode: [00:01 – 06:00] Introduction Getting to know our guest Background research on sickle cell in West Africa [06:00 – 30:00] Diagnosis & Living With Sickle Cell As A Teen Getting diagnosed with sickle cell anemia at (age) 9 months Going through episodes and complications as a teen Encountering challenges in finding a school as someone living with sickle cell Being intentional about her health as a sickle cell patient Living authentically and in her truth [30:00 – 1:00:00] Thriving With Sickle Cell Traversing the challenges of school and work Dating and love life Being her best advocate for herself Her sickle cell advocacy and the need to create more awareness Dr. Ojong's advice for young people and people living with sickle cell [1:00:00 – 1:13:55] Final Words Dr. Ojong’s final words Anyoh’s final words Quotes “Yes, sometimes you might take longer to accomplish the things you want but that doesn't mean you will not accomplish it, it means that it's okay to pace yourself. It's okay to ask for help. It's okay to seek your truth, your authenticity. And in that process to not devalue your worth.” – Dr. Ojong Bate “In Cameroon, sickle cell disease is not very rare. It's just stigmatized so much that people hide it. And the synopsis and prognosis and outcomes are really poor so a lot of times patients go on to be diagnosed until they're three, four or five, and even six years old. And before some even get diagnosed, they have already lost their lives.” – Dr. Ojong Bate “Know your self-worth, don’t center your life around sickle cell disease, ask for help, know your needs, be consistent with your drugs, and be your best advocate. Take your medications consistently and take good care of yourself so you don’t blame the disease for everything that happens to you health-wise. Simply, be there for yourself every day.” – Dr. Ojong Bate LEAVE A REVIEW and tell us what you think about the episode so we can continue putting out the best content just for you! Connect with Living African Podcast: You can connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter, or send us an email at hello@livingafricanpodcast.com. Check out our website www.livingafricanpodcast.com for more resources and to learn more. Connect with host, Anyoh: You can connect with Anyoh on Facebook (@anyohf), Instagram (@anyohfombad), and Twitter (@anyohfombad). Thank you.