Patricia McGill is doing something she never thought she’d be able to do – preparing to celebrate her 80th birthday. That’s because, at age 13, the Houston native was diagnosed with sickle cell disease.
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute defines sickle cell disease as an inherited red blood cell disorder affecting hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen through the body. According to the Centers for Disease Control, it affects approximately 100,000 Americans, and over 90 percent of those are Black or African American.
The disease, which can impact patients with a variety of complications including anemia, chronic pain, infections, stroke, kidney, liver and heart disease, comes with an estimated life expectancy that is 20 years shorter than the average, 77.5 years. But as she prepares to become an octogenarian, Ms. McGill is one of the country’s oldest living people with the disease.
McGill, who was 13 at the time of her diagnosis realized that something as simple as a common cold could come with complications.
“I was sick a lot, and when I did get sick, it was more serious than if my siblings got the same illness,” McGill told NBC News.
But she didn’t let that stop her. Instead, she used it to fuel her, studying elementary and special education at Hampton University. McGill even went on to become a teacher working with students with disabilities and the mother of three children of her own.
“I decided that if I might only live to about 30, which is what I initially thought, I would do everything I wanted to do,” she said.
Despite her physical challenges, McGill has always held on to hope, inspired by her favorite Bible verse, Romans 8:28, which reads: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
“[It] reminds me that all things work together for good,” she said. “This belief has helped me stay positive despite the challenges.”