Wedding bells are ringing for one of Nigeria’s most dedicated sickle cell activists, Samira Sanusi
Wedding bells are ringing for one of Nigeria’s most dedicated SCD advocates, Samira Haruna Sanusi.
At 32, Samira is getting married to Harith Sidi Ali in a private wedding fatiha on Saturday, June 13. The restrictions brought about by the new global realities of a pandemic will, of course, be strictly observed, but certainly not by bride and groom!
Diagnosed with sickle cell anaemia at eight months – Samira already had a five year old elder sister with the same genetic disorder – Samira spent close to ten years in hospitals in Nigeria, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Much affected by the illness, the second daughter of former Research fellow, Nigerian Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, former Permanent Secretary in the Ministries of Defence, Finance and Budget Office, Dr. Haroun Usman Sanusi, PhD OON FCMA, was eventually cured of sickle cell by Bone Marrow Transplant at the Kinderspital, Austria. Her elder sister was not as seriously affected but she also undertook BMT at the same hospital. The family wanted to put SCD behind them forever.
After their cures, the two sisters co-founded the Samira Sanusi Sickle Cell Foundation (SSSCF) with a view to helping indigents with SCD and more importantly to raise awareness for a sickle-cell-free Nigeria.
