Nigerian Afrobeats singer Adekunle Gold has spoken about the emotional and physical struggles he has faced as a person living with sickle cell disease.
In a recent interview with media personality Angela Yee, the “Orente” crooner revealed that many people often react with fear or pity whenever they discover that he has sickle cell disease.
According to him, some people look at him as if he may not survive for long because of the condition.
Adekunle Gold also recalled experiencing one of the most painful sickle cell crises of his life at the age of 20, a moment that made him wish for death because of the unbearable pain.
“At 20, I had the craziest crisis of my life. I told God to take my life. And my mom couldn’t even rebuke me. Normally, she would but that night, it got to a point where it felt like the only thing that makes sense should just happen,” he said.
The singer explained that the pain was so intense that even his mother, who usually encouraged him during difficult moments, was unable to stop him from expressing those thoughts.
Despite the challenges, Adekunle Gold said he is grateful to God for giving him the strength to continue fighting and surviving with sickle cell disease.
He also used the opportunity to shed more light on the realities faced by people living with the condition and the emotional burden that often comes with it.
