Malik, 21, has been living with sickle cell anemia since he was born.
Sickle cell anemia is a disease in which the body makes red blood cells in an abnormal sickle shape. This shape causes the person with sickle cell anemia to have lots of pain, and throughout Malik’s life, the pain has led to hospital visits.
Malik has had blood transfusions and even chemotherapy because of the condition. With suggestions from his doctors, he decided it was the right time to get a bone marrow transplant. He wanted to get rid of the disease and the physical pain it causes.
So, the search for a match began.
Luckily for Malik, the search did not last long, because his brother Javion was a perfect match. Initially, doctors believed that there was a 25 percent chance that Javion and Malik would be a match. Amazingly, Javion was 100 percent match. The doctors asked if Javion was sure that he wanted to help, and he was enthusiastic about helping his brother.
Thanks to his brother, Malik’s life has changed, and he no longer has sickle cell disease. He only has the trait. He is feeling better only three months after surgery.
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