My name is Obianuju Irene Nwokedi – Enekwechi, I am from Nigeria where I was born and later came to the UK. I am an entrepreneur, influencer, founder and CEO at Yummilicious Cakes and Uju Foundation. I am a wife and mother to 3 year old Jesse, being a sickle cell person and looking after my son has been challenging but at the same time an amazing feeling to be a mother to him. I also run several online businesses in order to be able to have multiple streams of income since I am not able to get a job as a sickle cell patient. I am a sickle cell career and was diagnosed of the condition when I was one years of age when I came to the UK.
I created Uju Foundation to share my experiences and journey of how the condition has affected me as well as the challenges that I faced on a regular basis especially been a mother and a wife and at the same time managing the condition.
Being a career of sickle cell throughout my life and the challenges that I encounter managing the condition, I want to use my story to inspire and encourage other people. I also want to be able to share my experiences, provide support and raise awareness to people with the condition but also anyone that wants to learn more about sickle cell. My future aim is to become a speaker in the UK and other counties, raise awareness of the condition, support children and young people with the condition, how they can manage it and have a charity foundation where individual can come for support.
Sickle cell is a disorder of the haemoglobin in the red blood cells
Haemoglobin is the substance in red blood cells that is responsible for the colour of the cell and for carrying oxygen around the body. People with sickle cell disorder are born with the condition, it is not contagious. It can only be inherited from both parents each having passed on the gene for sickle cell.
Sickle cell disease is particularly common in people with an African or Caribbean family background. Sickle cell disease is a serious and lifelong health condition, although treatment can help manage many of the symptoms. The most serious type is called sickle cell anaemia. If both parents have the gene, there’s a 1 in 4 chance of each child they have being born with sickle cell disease.
The Sickle Cell Society is a UK charity for people with sickle cell disease. Their website has a wide range of useful information, including news about research into the disorder.
You can also get more information if you want to know your sickle cell status by asking your GP for a blood test. In some parts of the country there are also local sickle cell centres that can arrange a blood test for you.
There are several treatments available to help manage sickle cell (HbSS) and prevent or treat its symptoms. Your GP, hospital doctor or specialist nurse will recommend appropriate treatments for you or your child. People with sickle cell disease need treatment throughout their lives. This is usually delivered by different health professionals in a specialist sickle cell centre.
In March 2017 I found out that I was four months pregnant without even knowing it, it all sounded like a dream to me at first I thought the doctor who told me the news was just pulling my legs and I argued it several times till I went for my first scan at that…
Jesse is a bright and intelligent 3 year old and he was born in 2017 at Kings Collage Hospital by CS section due to the number of complications I encountered during my pregnancy period. Since becoming a mother to him it’s one of life’s most hardest and difficult experienced because as a sickle cell patient…
There are several treatments available to help manage sickle cell (HbSS) and prevent or treat its symptoms. Your GP, hospital doctor or specialist nurse will recommend appropriate treatments for you or your child. Their recommendations may include: Antibiotics Penicillin (or erythromycin in the case of allergy) is prescribed to all infants from the age of…
Did You Know? Thanks to early diagnosis and advances in care, the outlook for people with sickle cell disease has improved greatly in the past 50 years. 1 SCD is inherited from both parents; sickle cell trait is inherited from one parent. 2 SCD can affect anyone, although it predominantly affects people from African and…
Haemoglobin is the substance in red blood cells that is responsible for the colour of the cell and for carrying oxygen around the body. People with sickle cell disorder are born with the condition, it is not contagious. It can only be inherited from both parents each having passed on the gene for sickle cell.…
Feel free to contact me if you want to work with me, you can also get in touch with me if you need support, encouragement and advice on sickle cell as well as managing the condition.
