Teresa is a 16-year-old girl who is changing the face of sickle cell anemia (SCA) disease.
And… SHE… ROCKS!
Instead of sitting back and feeling sorry for herself, this beautiful young woman sets goals for herself. She loves to play an active role in her own life—refusing to sit on the sidelines of life.
She plays an instrument in the band, she exercises—even when she’s feeling tired, and she hangs out with her friends. Did someone say, shopping?!!! Oh… yeah… she’s a fan.
I feel so inspired watching her video, which you can watch here. She has such a calming voice. She looks and sounds determined. You’d never know she is living with a serious chronic condition.
What it all seems to boil down to is:
- She must have loving and supportive parents and family.
- She is proactive about her health.
- Her friends treat her just the same – normally.
- She partners with her doctor and takes her medication as prescribed.
- She sets goals and finds ways to live her life on her terms!
BRAVO to her and her parents!
What I’d really like to know is how do parents raise children like Teresa? I’m curious. Does it take living with SCA yourself before you can help raise a child? It’s not like there’s a sickle cell anemia life instruction manual!
