Health or education? The daily dilemmas of a student with sickle cell anaemia

Every student feels the pressure of assessments, deadlines and attending classes. But most don’t face the daily dilemma that I do living with sickle cell anaemia: do I settle for lower grades because the hard work needed to achieve the highest standards may result in me becoming sick? After hundreds of hospital visits and a double hip replacement before the age of 21, I know as well as anyone that living with sickle cell anaemia is challenging. But if I were given the choice to cure it, I would have to decline.