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Truth of A Warrior Network

@truthofawarrior

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Sickle Cell Advocacy
To give, to know & to have HOPE
Inspiring change through faith, education & arts.
Join the community👇🏾

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Kinda chic refusing to let sickle cell be the most interesting thing about you x

Book me @sistersinbeauty

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#londonmakeupartist #makeupartist #sicklecelladvocate by @truthofawarrior

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21 days ago

Plan for life. PLAN TO LIVE.

And on that note… happy birthday to me!! ✨

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#sicklecelladvocate #truthofawarrior by @truthofawarrior

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23 days ago

Doctors have a habit of instilling fear in you.

Not always intentionally. Sometimes it comes from the things they tell you to expect, the limitations they warn you about, or the uncertainty that comes with living with a condition they can’t simply fix.

When you grow up hearing those things, it can be easy to start imagining your life through the lens of your diagnosis.

What you might not be able to do.
Where your body might let you down.
How much pain might be waiting for you.

But at some point, I had to realise:

I didn’t just want to survive my life. I wanted to live it.
I wanted to build a business.
I wanted to empower other women.
I wanted to use my voice.
I wanted to turn some of my pain into purpose.
I wanted to travel, create, dream, laugh and keep becoming.

And that doesn’t mean sickle cell stopped being hard.

It means it was never going to be the only thing I became.

So this Sickle Cell Awareness Month, I’m reminding myself and anyone else who needs to hear it:

You are allowed to become more than your diagnosis.

If you live with sickle cell, tell me:
What is sickle cell not going to stop you from becoming? 🤍

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#sicklecellawareness #sicklecelladvocate #truthofawarrior by @truthofawarrior

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24 days ago

Ara was told that she needed a transfusion but she just wanted her body to cooperate. She was tired of needing help to survive.

But those bags of blood came from someone who chose to give.

And Ara is here because someone gave.

Behind every blood donation is a person, a story, a life that could be changed.

**If you’re eligible to donate blood, consider giving. You could be someone’s reason to see another She didn’t want the blood transfusions that saved her life.

#sicklecelladvocate #sicklecellawareness #sicklecell #truthofawarrior by @truthofawarrior

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24 days ago

Sickle cell made me a teacher before I ever realised I was one.

For years, I’ve had to explain things people couldn’t see.

What a crisis actually feels like. Why pain doesn’t always look painful. Why plans sometimes have to change. Why looking “fine” doesn’t mean your body is fine.

And somewhere along the way, I became really good at explaining things.

Sickle cell taught me how to communicate, tell my story, advocate for myself and make people understand something they’d never experienced themselves.

I never asked for this condition.
But I’ve started to recognise the skills it’s developed in me.

And now I get to use them in my business.

I’m a makeup artist and educator, and I get to teach other women and makeup artists what I’ve learned about makeup, branding, business and becoming confident in what they have to offer.

Sometimes, the things we had to learn to survive become the very things we use to help someone else. ❤️‍🩹

And that’s one of the most beautiful things about turning pain into purpose.

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#sicklecelladvocate #sicklecell #sistersinbeauty #sicklecellawareness by @truthofawarrior

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a month ago

“I found out I had sickle cell at 18.
And overnight, it felt like my independence was taken from me.”

Unlike anyone else I’ve met, Ara didn’t grow up knowing she had sickle cell. She found out later in life, at 18 years old.
And just like that, her life changed.

Receiving a diagnosis at a time when you’re stepping into adulthood and discovering your independence brought a whole new set of challenges, questions and adjustments.

For Sickle Cell Awareness Month, I knew I wanted to share Ara’s story.

Because there is no one story when it comes to sickle cell.

Every journey looks different. Every diagnosis carries a different weight. And every warrior has a story that deserves to be heard.

This is Ara’s story. 💗

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#sicklecelladvocate #sicklecell #sicklecellawareness #truthofawarrior by @truthofawarrior

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2 months ago

So that really happened… the first ever screening of HUGS, a passion project. 💛

There have been plenty of moments where I would hide away, where fear and doubt felt loud. But every time I choose to share even a little, God reminds me that there is something so much greater on the other side of vulnerability.

When I first created this, there was no intention of it ever making it to the big screen. And yet, here we are.

Thank you @ourppls.art @akanji.studio for having me speak with @dionnereid on the creation of the HUGS campaign, resilience, and life with a chronic illness, and for creating such a beautiful space for these conversations to breathe. I’m so grateful to be in a room where people don’t just listen, but are genuinely moved to encourage and inspire one another.

As much as I was able to share, I left carrying so much more than I came with. That’s the beauty of community. 🤍

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#sicklecelladvocate #sicklecell #truthofawarrior by @truthofawarrior

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7 months ago

Blood transfusions are a lifeline for so many warriors in our community.

When you see us speaking up and pushing for blood donations, it’s not for attention or because we simply want it, it’s because lives depend on it.

Please stand with us. Support our community. Donate blood and help save a life 🙏🏾

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#sicklecelladvocate #sicklecell #sicklecellawareness #truthofawarrior by @truthofawarrior

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7 months ago

This Thursday, I’ll have the honour of screening my passion project, HUGS (Hope You Give Someone), at Give to Gain. I’ll also be speaking and sharing the heart behind it in honour of International Women’s Month, exploring resilience, invisible illness, and the power of community

This free wellness event is created for the sickle cell community, as well as those living with chronic pain and hidden disabilities, and carers too - a space for real conversation, community, and connection.

📅 Thursday 26th March
📍 The New Blxck, Shoreditch
🕕 6.00PM
🎟️ FREE — link in bio to secure your spot

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#sicklecellawareness #sicklecelladvocate #sicklecell by @truthofawarrior

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7 months ago

behind the scenes of our HUGS campaign shoot with Tatiana🫂✨

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#sicklecelladvocate #sicklecell #truthofawarrior by @truthofawarrior

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7 months ago

The moment it all made sense. The why.

HUGS was never just a campaign.
It was a reminder that sometimes the hope we give to others is the hope we need ourselves.

Women. Warriors. Holding each other up.

Our weakness is our superpower.

HUGS — Hope You Give Someone.

#sicklecell #sicklecelladvocate #sisterhood by @truthofawarrior

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7 months ago

Today, we honour and celebrate every woman, every warrior, in all her forms.

We honour those who came before us, whose courage made space for ours. We celebrate those who journey with us today, in all their complexity and grace. And we welcome those who are still becoming, the ones finding their footing, their voice, their place in this world.

Today we hold every truth, the ones spoken boldly and the ones still finding words. Every story, celebrated and overlooked, simple and extraordinary. Every strength, the kind the world can see, and the kind you’ve been quietly carrying all along.

On this day, no woman stands alone. We see you. We honour you. We celebrate you.

Happy International Women’s Day 💗

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#sicklecell #sicklecelladvocate #truthofawarrior #internationalwomensday by @truthofawarrior

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7 months ago