Why You Should Stop Using the Term "Sickler" for Those Living with Sickle Cell Disease

It has always been my belief that whatever one thinks, what he speaks, and believes himself to be; he soon becomes! While we all know that the mind can play tricks on us from time to time, we ask that you become more aware of the language, terms, labels, or stereotypical phrasing that you may use when referring to or addressing an individual living with sickle cell disease.

Using terminology such as “sicklers” can be offensive, violate an individual’s HIPAA rights, or could potentially have a negative impact on an individual’s emotional or psychological well-being. I for one, vote to trash the use of the term because of the negative stigma associated with the word and it rallies against the very thing we find ourselves advocating for; inclusion!

Many of us want to be outstanding stewards and advocates for ourselves and others living with sickle cell disease, our word choice (if used improperly) may be unintentionally defining ourselves or someone living with the genetic disorder by their diagnosis rather than their character, their brilliance, and their beauty.

With that being said, let’s transition to a voice that speaks celebration instead of continued stigmatization by opting to use words and phrases that speak life, hope, strength, courage, peace, prosperity, longevity, greatness, etc. While we understanding the reality of living with sickle cell disease, we ask that you commission yourselves to always speak and align your words more so with ambitions, dreams, and goals rather than the diagnosis.