Today's Quotes/News: Spotlight on Maiya Andrews

My name is Maiya Vashti Andrews.  I was born with Sickle Cell Disease. Sickle Cell Disease is an inherited blood disorder that is characterized as abnormal blood cells that are rigid and shaped like a sickle; hence the word Sickle Cell disease. There are so many formal medical terms that I could copy off the internet about the disease to define its nature and the pain that it has caused me however this disease does not define who I am.  So let me begin again. My name is Maiya Vashti Andrews. I am an honor roll student; I am the president and a member of the Macedonia Baptist church youth choir as well as a liturgical dancer. I am an active member of the Interact Club and Central Steppers step team at Central Regional High school where I attend school.

When I was much younger, I struggled with keeping up in school because I spent most days in the hospital.  I never had an issue with making friends but I worked very hard to keep them from asking too many questions about why I missed so much school.  I was smaller in stature than most of my peers and I required a lot of tutoring due to missed days of school. I spent many days worrying about whether my peers would think that there was something wrong with me and I was fearful that my peers would think they could “catch” the disease. More often than not I would lie about where I was when had to be hospitalized for days and weeks at a time. Sometimes I would tell peers that I was on vacation or I just did not feel like going to school. I felt ashamed to lie but it was the best I could do to keep kids from asking about the disease that I hated so much. Being a small kid that had to be hospitalized every 3 to 4 weeks can take its toll.

Today, I don’t have to lie to peers about being in the hospital so frequently.  Today, I am blessed to see the inside of a hospital room only once year. I don’t have to worry about going back into the hospital week after week, matter of fact I forget I have sickle cell most of the time. I use to over think things when it came to having sickle cell and by doing that, it held me back from reaching my goals. But now my mom has to actually remind me to make sure I take care of myself to avoid having to go back to the hospital. Typically my current hospitalizations are due to other minor issues unrelated to Sickle Cell. Much of this is due to the chronic blood transfusions that I receive every four weeks.  My life is blessed. I’m blessed in that I don’t think about the earlier part of my life where I struggled in pain all the time.  I can focus on here and now and the future that I feel will be so bright.  I am not defined by this disease that doctors have labeled me with.  I am so much more.  I am Maiya Vashti Andrews, student, dancer, activist, daughter, child of God.