Nigerian singer Adekunle Gold has shared that he is still living with sickle cell disease, a condition he has managed since childhood.
Naijaonpoint reports that the music star made the revelation during an interview with Nando Leaks.
Born with the disorder, the 38-year-old artiste explained that he has been on medication since he was around five years old.
He recalled that his early years were filled with frequent health crises, especially painful episodes that affected his joints, legs, and stomach.
According to him, his parents both carried the sickle cell trait and unknowingly passed it on to him.
The father of one said he still experiences occasional crises, though not as severe as during his childhood, thanks to better self-care and access to proper treatment.
He said that understanding his health condition early helped him learn how to manage it over time.
The singer also called for greater awareness about genotype testing, especially among couples planning to have children.
He expressed concern that many people still lack proper knowledge about sickle cell disease and that more needs to be done by health bodies to educate the public.
He said: “Unfortunately for me, my parents are sickle cell and they brought me to the world. The first time I ever heard of sickle cell was I would fall sick every time with my joints paining me. So when we talk about crisis, it is pains on your joints, my legs and sometimes stomach. It’s really crazy.
“The first time I noticed that I had it was the night I fell sick and my dad wasn’t home and my mum put me on her back and we walked miles to the hospital. I don’t remember how old I was, maybe like five or seven. That was when the doctor told me about it, and they told me that I will be taking folic acid and B complex for the rest of my life. And that’s my life for a very long time even till now.
“I still have crises once in a while but not as bad as I had it when I was a child, maybe because I have found a way to take care of myself more properly. And I’m grateful to God for the resources to be able to do that.
“My vision is to make more noise about it because a lot of people don’t know about it, and the important organisations are not making so much moves regarding it.
“Where sickle cell is more popular or where people know it most is my country Nigeria. And it happens when an SS matches an SS. And that’s why knowing your genotype is very important because the point is you should not bring many more kids that have sickle cell.”
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