...sickle cell it’s real, caused by your choice – Ohiomokhare

By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA – THE Jephthah Ohiomokhare Sickle Cell Foundation, Monday, urged Nigerians to prioritize genotype test before marital engagement.

Speaking on the sidelines of The Jephthah Ohiomokhare Sickle Cell, JOSCF, Blood Donation Drive and Public Advocacy with the theme ‘Blood for Life: Advancing Sickle Cell Care in Nigeria’, the Executive Director and Co-Founder, JOSCF, Senami Ohiomokhare, said sickle cell disease is real and caused by the choice made before marriage.

Ohiomokhare also explained the essence of the JOSCF which is in honour and memory of their late son, Jephthah Ohiomokhare, who died at the age of 15 years and eight months while he was in Senior Secondary Two.

The gathering had in attendance medical doctors, Civil Society Organizations, media, family and friends, who were enlightened on the importance of knowing one’s genotype instead of ruining the lives of Innocent children.

She said: “Jephthah Ohiomokhare Sickle Cell Foundation, JOCF, was birthed after my son of blessed memory, Jephthah Ohiomokhare, went to be with the Lord on the 4th of February, 2017.

“He passed on due to complications of sickle cell, and the Foundation started because not just to keep his memory alive but to find a way to make sure families do not go through what my family and I had to go through because of sickle cell.

“One thing that we are passionate about is to let people understand that sickle cell is a choice, it is the result of a choice that you make, and you don’t need to make choices that bring people into the world only for them to suffer and not have the quality of life that they need and maybe eventually, due to complications, pass on.”

She also said the Foundation is going to upscale its activities to drive the sickle cell campaign in order to reduce the menace.

“One of the downsides of sickle cell is that there are so many myths about sickle cell that people don’t even know are just myths.There are so many things people don’t understand, like our keynote speaker said.

“And that is what we believe in. We like to ask the question, what is your type? And while that is part of it, the most crucial question is, what is your genotype?

“And that question should be asked from the very beginning of a conversation because most people get emotionally invested in love before they ask that question, making it difficult for them to separate when they find out that they are not compatible to be married.”

However, according to her, there is a cure for sick cell disease called the bone marrow transplant, and also added that they should observe basic prescriptions, eat healthy, drink enough water, avoid mosquito bites, and stress.

The Founder, Maidunama Sickle Cell Foundation, Rabi Maidunama, strongly emphasized that religious leaders need to do more to reduce sickle cell disorder as “religion plays a vital role” including culture.

“The churches are doing a good job, but down in the north, only a few of our engineers and religious clerics are talking about it in the north. So it still remains a problem.

“No one has the right to bring forth a child with sickle cell. The best thing you can do for humanity now is to know your genotype and make the right choice in choosing your life partner”, Maidunama said.

However, she called on healthcare providers to be nice and tender to sickle cell patients due to the crisis they go through.

Meanwhile, she counseled that, “Before getting married, check your genotype, both of you should go to a lab and do it, and remember, when you are checking genotype, do it twice or three times at different hospitals.”

The Executive Director, Tosin Abimbola Dokpesi Foundation, TAD Foundation, Dr Oluwatosin Dokpesi also urged Nigerians regardless their age to go out and check their genotype in order to be sure and avoid transferring the burden to innocent children.

“So all those we need to confirm, because those are the ones that have grown up, and we are still sure that this is the case, and that you are finding out that it is not.

“They have more sophisticated equipment now to check, so we all need to check and be sure of our blood group”, Dokpesi said.