Adekunle Gold Opens Up About Lifelong Battle With Sickle Cell Disease

Nigerian singer-songwriter Adekunle Gold has revealed he continues to live with sickle cell disease, a condition he has managed since childhood, he said in a recent interview.

The 38-year-old artist disclosed that he has been on medication since age five and still occasionally experiences painful crises. “I still have crises… a lot of people don’t know about it,” he said. “Knowing your genotype is very important because the point is you should not bring many more kids that have sickle cell.”

Gold described the moment he first became aware of his condition: “The first time I noticed that I had it… my mum put me on her back and we walked miles to the hospital,” adding that the doctor told him he would need folic acid and B-complex for the rest of his life.

He used the platform to urge wider public awareness and stronger advocacy: “I want to make more noise about it because … the important organisations are not making so much moves regarding it.”