Nigerian singer Adekunle Gold has spoken candidly about his lifelong struggle with sickle cell disease, revealing that he still suffers painful crises despite managing the condition since childhood.
In a recent video interview shared on social media, the 38-year-old artist recounted his experience living with the illness and the challenges he has faced over the years.
“I still have crises,” Adekunle Gold said, explaining that he has been on medication since he was five years old.
“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 because I would always fall sick, with pains in my joints, legs, and sometimes stomach. It’s really crazy,” he said.
He recalled one of his earliest experiences with the condition. “The first time I noticed that I had it was the night I fell sick and my dad wasn’t home. My mum put me on her back, and we walked miles to the hospital. I must have been about five or seven years old. That was when the doctor told me about it and said I would be taking folic acid and B complex for the rest of my life. That’s been my reality ever since.”
Adekunle Gold noted that although he still experiences crises, they have become less severe as he has learned to take better care of himself.
“I still have crises once in a while but not as bad as when I was a child. Maybe because I’ve found ways to care for myself properly, and I’m grateful to God for the resources to do that,” he said.
The singer also used the opportunity to advocate for greater awareness of sickle cell disease and the importance of genotype testing.
“My vision is to make more noise about it because a lot of people don’t know about it, and important organisations aren’t doing enough,” he said.
“Where sickle cell is most common is my country, Nigeria. It happens when two SS partners have children. That’s why knowing your genotype is very important — so you don’t bring more kids into the world to suffer from sickle cell.”
