LIKE ANY CHILD her age, six-year-old Marisa Oughterson loves to draw and giggle but she knows she is different.
After being diagnosed with full-blown sickle cell anaemia at two years old, following complaints of painful joints and difficulty breathing, Marisa has had a series of blood transfusions, a stroke, and lengthy hospital stays, including time in the Intensive Care Unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Telling his daughter’s story to the WEEKEND NATION, Malcolm Oughterson, who is always seeking knowledge about the disease which has the potential to lead to a tragic end, said he was devastated when doctors told him the second of his two children had sickle cell.
“It leaves you in a state of shock. Finding out that your last child has something that is terminal and deemed life-threatening whereas she could be here today and gone tomorrow leaves you feeling a way that you can’t prepare for,” the father said, taking a glimpse at his daughter colouring a picture in one of her favourite books. (AH)
Please read the full story in today’s Weekend Nation, or in the eNATION edition.
