GoodHeart | Daniellia White: Sickle cell warrior embarks on care package drive
Published:Saturday | September 11, 2021 | 12:09 AMStephanie Lyew - Gleaner Writer
September is Sickle Cell Awareness Month and podcaster and entertainment hub founder, Daniellia White, is calling on all Jamaicans to join hands and help her prepare care packages for persons battling the disease and in dire need of assistance. White said some of these individuals are unemployed, bedridden and others, who can work, sometimes miss a lot of days due to illness, which results in issues between them and their employers or makes it difficult to provide basic needs for themselves.
“That fact is already jarring without a pandemic, which makes it even worse now that a pandemic is in the midst and the patients or carriers have to safeguard themselves. I thought it was even more necessary to help those in need in this period where so many are affected by the pandemic,” said White.
A sickle cell warrior herself, she has been fighting the good fight since birth. Having been told she would most likely not live to see 21, White has carried a vision to launch an outreach programme, and with others from the community, it is becoming a reality.
“I have held this dream in my heart for years. As a carrier of the disease myself, I have witnessed the struggles and the hardships others face first-hand,” said the self-proclaimed sickle cell warrior, who turns 30 in October. “If we, the community of sickle cell warriors, start talking about it more, small circles or larger spaces, more myths would be debunked. People cannot truly give attention to what isn’t put in their purview, and neither can they understand something that is only ever spoken about from a theoretical perspective. There are real people living with real diseases and real challenges, pandemic or not.”
TIME TO GIVE BACK
With countries worldwide, including Jamaica, doing events such as symposiums and other educational ventures, she decided it would make better sense to observe this month by giving back and highlighting the realities faced by many. White said that many issues are being overlooked throughout the pandemic, “and certainly diseases are included”. With Warriors Unite, she anticipates persons battling with the disease will come together for the greater good and share their stories.
She told GoodHeart that for a disease that is so common, she truly believes change first has to begin on the inside. “You can’t truly understand it in the way you should because those who live with it daily are terrified of speaking about it. I also believe another major issue is that our healthcare workers are often insensitive, some even lacking a deep understanding of the realities of the disease, which may be a result of the vast difference between what was taught and the reality of those living with it.”
She is accepting donations of non-perishable food items, meal supplements such as Supligen, Ensure in liquid or in powdered form, flu and pain medications, multivitamins, sanitary products, wipes and hand sanitisers up to Monday, September 20, so that packages can be ready for the September 27 to 29 distribution date across Kingston, Black River and Montego Bay. So far, companies such as Sagicor Foundation, Seprod, Grace Foods, XYZ Naturals and the Sickle Cell Support Foundation of Jamaica have offered their support.
“Jamaica definitely lacks the support in the awareness aspects, and that lack of awareness is what really leads to misunderstanding and even the formation of myths. The stigma associated with the disease and the way carriers are treated makes it hard for them to speak about it in their spaces, the way I do in mine, which makes raising awareness even harder,” she shared.
“As we continue this journey, more brands and entities continue to come on board, and for that, we are also grateful. Whatever you can give is accepted and appreciated. The issues are slowly being addressed, but I would love for sickle cell disease to stop being the ‘quiet disease thrown in the corner’. It’s more serious than that,” White said.
– To donate, call 876-990-1638 or send an email to danielliawhiteorganization@gmail.com. Have a good story you’d like to share? Email us at goodheart@gleanerjm.com.