A Nigerian father has shared his experience of raising a daughter living with sickle cell disease, describing his decision to marry despite knowing that he and his wife were both AS as a “foolish mistake”.
In a viral video, the father was seen comforting his daughter during a sickle cell crisis as she complained of pain in her leg.
The young girl was lying under a white bedsheet while crying in discomfort. Her father tried to console her before carrying her on his shoulder and walking around the room.
Recounting the experience, he said: “My daughter was having a crisis because she’s a sickle cell.”
He explained that witnessing the episode in person gave him a better understanding of what his daughter and her mother had been experiencing during previous hospital visits.
“I’ve been watching it on video every time they go to the hospital,” he said. “But now I’m having a physical experience. It’s not something that anybody should experience.”
The father attributed his decision to proceed with the marriage to his strong religious convictions, noting that he and his wife were aware that they both had the AS genotype before getting married.
“Why is she a sickle cell patient? Because of my mistake, foolish mistake. Foolish mistake that religion made me do,” he said.
According to him, he and his wife were in a relationship for three years without having sex or kissing because of their religious beliefs.
“I dated for complete three years, no kissing, not even kissing,” he said.
“When we got married after that three years, she was still a virgin.”
He said that although they knew their genotype status, he believed his faith would prevent them from having a child with sickle cell disease.
“Even though when we discovered that we are both AS, I felt that I’m so faithful to God, that God will not allow me to give birth to a child who is a sickle cell,” he said.
The father said he prayed and fasted, believing that his faith could change the outcome despite being aware of the biological implications of having the AS genotype.
However, he said his daughter’s condition eventually made him recognise the importance of accepting scientific and biological realities.
He described his decision as “foolishness” and said the consequences had affected him, his daughter and her mother.
“Because I was so faithful, so God will because of that. And I prayed, I fasted, I said God will not allow me.”
Reflecting on the situation, he said he no longer considered his daughter’s condition to be a result of God refusing to answer his prayers.
“It is not that, oh, God have refused to answer me, no. It was foolishness,” he said.
He added: “You see reality, and you’re saying you’re having faith, you’re believing. It was foolishness.”
The father said the impact of the situation had extended to the entire family.
“Now I’m paying for it, the child is paying for it, her mom is paying for it,” he said.
He subsequently urged couples to consider scientific and biological realities when making decisions about marriage and having children.
“Prayer cannot solve you if you open your eyes and go and make a mistake that reality have always already shown you that this is science, this is biology.
“Don’t do it,” he said.
Click the link to watch the video.