By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu
The Niger Delta Development Commission’s sickle cell awareness campaign in Warri on Tuesday became more than a health outreach it became a lifeline for families who say they are drowning under the weight of daily pain, rising medical bills, and emotional exhaustion.
From the back of the hall at Central Hospital, Warri, where over 100 patients lined up for checks and medication, came the stories that defined the day stories of parents who have sold belongings to keep their children alive, and young adults fighting to stay hopeful despite constant crises.
Many of the beneficiaries said the intervention, organised by the NDDC in partnership with Ebiere Women Foundation, Sickle Cell Awareness Initiative Ireland–Nigeria and Beyond Sickle Cell Foundation, was not just a medical programme but a rare moment of relief.
For Mrs Beauty Eromosele, a mother of a sickle-cell child, survival has been a daily struggle.
“This journey is not easy,” she said quietly, fighting back tears. “If you have a sickle cell child, you cannot have savings. Most times, you have to borrow money. But with interventions like this, parents like us have hope that our children can live a normal life.”
Her son, she added, dreams of becoming a doctor a dream she says she will keep fighting for.
Across the room stood 23-year-old Edojah Simon Oghenekaro, a final-year Computer Science student who lives with the disorder. He smiled as he collected his medication.
“As a sickle cell carrier, I do not see my condition as a limitation but a motivation,” he said. “Support like this helps us push stronger. I just pray they continue.”
Parents and caregivers described the programme as a “lifeline”, saying many essential drugs are now far beyond the reach of average households. They spoke of sleepless nights, emergency hospital visits, emotional stress, and the heartbreaking pressure of choosing between food and medicine.
Some said the awareness campaign has not only educated the public on management and prevention but has eased the financial burden they face every month.
While monitoring the exercise, an NDDC official, Mrs Irene Emavwodia, reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to “the health and well-being of sickle cell warriors”, saying the agency would continue expanding health interventions across the Niger Delta.
Partner organisations also pledged sustained collaboration to reach more vulnerable communities.
But it was the voices of the patients tired but hopeful that shaped the true narrative.
“This outreach tells us we are not forgotten,” Simon said, clutching his medication pack with both hands. “It restores our dignity.”
For the families gathered in Warri, Tuesday’s outreach was more than a campaign it was a breath of relief in a life of constant battles, and a reminder that hope, too, must be kept alive.