How I take charge of my own care as someone with sickle cell disease

The most complicated and most important relationship I have is the one I have with myself. After all, I’m the constant in all of the relationships I have. My thoughts, feelings and actions dictate all of my relationships from beginning to end. How I view myself is the largest factor in all of my relationships. It not only dictates the type of people I attract and allow in my life, it is the driving force in how I treat them and how I allow myself to be treated and for how long. Having sickle cell, I have no choice other than to be a leader. Especially when it comes to dealing with my doctors and nurses in and out of the hospital. At a very young age my mother began to teach me to trust my instincts and stand by my decisions. That meant that I not only had to believe in myself but, I had to without question or hesitation tell people what I needed and speak up when they did something wrong. At 2 years old my mother taught me to place my hand over possible I.V. site and say “No!” to the nurse attempting to start the I.V. That was my first lesson in not only guiding my nurses but also in knowing me. Abstract source