The Sickle Truth With #BoldLipsForSickleCell

With all the ice water challenges flooding our feeds, the disease awareness movement is pretty much flooded!!! But wait there has been one other movement making waves on social media and that is #BoldLipsForSickleCell!!!! Even celebrities, like T-Boz from TLC, have taken notice to this quickly spreading awareness campaign. So we caught up on the founder, Shamonica Wiggins, to get the details of what's really going on with #BoldLipsForSickleCell..... How are you connected to sickle cell disease? I'm connected to Sickle Cell because I battle it everyday. Even as a small child I had to deal with complications from this illness. How has sickle cell disease affected your life? Sickle Cell has affected my life in MANY ways but the things that stick out the most are that I have to constantly plan around my illness. I can't just hop up and do things, I always have to consider the best interest of my health, and that is directly because of Sickle Cell. Where did the idea for #BoldLipsForSickleCell begin? #BoldLipsForSickleCell began when my friend and fellow warrior Shameka McFarland posted a video challenging those with Sickle Cell to come up with an awareness challenge for Sickle Cell. I share her same passion for sickle cell and I too feel we needed an awareness challenge. How successful has it been? So far #BoldLipsForSickleCell has been pretty successful. On Instagram there are 18,349 posts and counting. We have 1367 followers on Instagram, 1285 group members on Facebook, and 2192 on the Facebook likes. Along with that we also have the support of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins has shown support  What do you want the people to know about #boldlipsforsicklecell? I want people to know that #BoldLipsForSickleCell was started by a Sickler who feels, just like every other Sickler, that there isn't enough awareness for Sickle Cell and that's why it was started. To give them a platform to be brave, to be bold and to speak up about sickle cell. So we can show the world our sickle truth and what we battle EVERYDAY. What do you want the people to know about Sickle Cell Disease? I want people to know what sickle cell is firstly. I want people to understand how sickle cell is genetically inherited and what we face when fighting this illness. I want people to see how strong we are and that our struggle is really hard. My goal is for sickle cell to be as known as cancer and once we reach that level I'm hoping a universal cure is found. Too many great men, women and children die from this illness. Also I want people to know that Sickle Cell is not a "Black Illness". How do you stay positive? I'm able to stay positive because positivity is what's needed most to remain sane with this illness. With a bright outlook on life you find living it to be easier. Also all the love and support I receive from my fellow warriors, having younger cousins with sickle cell and being a mom I must remain positive! I have way too much to live for and when God grants me happiness and I share it. What do you have planned for the future? Hopefully in the near future BLFSC will be a non profit hosting events and spreading sickle cell awareness on a yearly basis. I look forward to continue working with the team I have in place, becoming better acquainted with the SCDAA and BLFSC becoming a household name in the sickle cell community. When did you fall in love with yourself? I've always loved me some Shamonica but I grew more in love with me and thankful for my life at 20 when it was almost cut short. Because of being wrongly diagnosed with the flu I spent 2 weeks in a coma. The first 24 hours my mom was told to brace for the worst. After overcoming something like that how could one NOT love themselves more? When did you fall in love with hip hop? I wouldn't say I'm in love with hip hop but I am in love with music. I think becoming an adult and living life you learn to love the lyrics of music a lot more. Rappers who words touch me on a regular basis are J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar. They have reawaken hip hop for me because they are amazing with words! When did you fall in love with the cause? I've always loved Sickle Cell Awareness. As a child I was encouraged to speak about and educate people about it so I think that's why advocating comes naturally to me. But when I discovered the online sickle cell community and starting virtually meeting new warriors it made me want to go harder for sickle cell. I receive so many messages on how something I posted helped a warrior out and I just know God made me for this very reason. To be a voice for those who have a hard time speaking up. I'm not pushing BLFSC for me but for each and every person with sickle cell.