Currently 16 years old, Halimé Tom was diagnosed with sickle cell six months after birth. His big sister Djannat Tom challenges the State on the care of people with this disease.
Despite the pain, the young Halimé Tom, lying on a drip on the bed of the national center for the fight against sickle cell disease, manipulates her phone. Hope is there, when we observe the smiling young girl. His big sister Djannat is at his bedside. For 16 years, Halimé Tom has suffered from sickle cell disease. “I had studied medicine, but because of my sister, I gave up everything“, tells us Djannat.
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Djannat Tom says that when they were in Saudi Arabia, 6 months after her birth, Halimé was declared sick with sickle cell disease. Since then, she has been followed closely. “Really it’s weird. We are 5 in our family but she is the only one to have the disease of anemia”, she expresses her astonishment. Every one or two months, Halimé must receive at least one bag of blood, not counting medication.
« We had brought her everywhere to hospitals abroad but we came back to stay in the country. Because all that the parents had (houses and others) left in the treatment. Despite everything, we have not found the best treatment », Laments Djannat Tom.
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Halimé’s sister welcomes the construction of the building for the national center for the fight against sickle cell disease. But the building alone is not enough, it must be equipped with materials and medicines. “The difficulty at the center is that we buy everything here, even the syringe at 100 francs, not to mention band-aid and the like. Each time we do the NFS test at 8,000 francs. What still irritates, there is no hospitalization in this center “, she denounces.
Djannat Tom launches a cry of alarm to the place of the State. “I ask the State to intervene to take in charge of these children sick with sickle cell disease as for other illnesses (AIDS and others). Those who have means, go elsewhere to seek treatment but the others suffer so much “, she feels sorry.
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