092: Stem Cell Transplant Recipient Revée Agyepong is Sickle-Cell-Free

Uninvisible Pod with Lauren Freedman

Revée Agyepong is a registered nurse specializing in neonatal intensive care and based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She currently works in the Pediatric Hematology Clinic at the Stollery Children’s Hospital as the Sickle Cell Disease Nurse…which is fitting, considering that until recently, she was living with sickle cell disease herself. In late 2017, she received an allogenic stem cell transplant to cure sickle cell anemia, thanks to her sister’s bone marrow donation. After 25 years of hospital admissions and countless treatments, Revée made history as the first adult in Alberta to receive this disease-reversing — and life-changing — treatment. A member of the Not Just You Sickle Cell Transplant Alliance for Research and the Canadian Hemoglobinopathy Nurses Group, Revée is passionate about inspiring, encouraging, supporting, and advocating for the sickle cell community. Come along with her on this beautiful story of perseverance, determination, and faith…and help us congratulate Revée as she has just launched her new business venture, inspired by her health experience…a natural home, hair, and skincare line called Rêve Naturals, designed to help others reduce toxins in their day-to-day!

Tune in as Revée shares:

• what it was like growing up with sickle cell
• how growing up with chronic illness tested her faith
• how her treatments developed over time before her remission
• how her health experiences drew her into a career in medicine
• how she became the first adult in Alberta to undergo a stem cell transplant to cure sickle cell
• that her sister was a perfect bone marrow match, and donated for her stem cell treatment
• that she’s gone from sickle cell patient to transplant patient
• that she’s officially sickle-cell-free — and that this strangely sent her into a kind of identity crisis
• that as a transplant patient, she doesn’t fit into the “traditional” model of aftercare support
• that for her, transplant was a choice — but for most recipients, transplant is the only option
• how her sister’s advocacy played a role in inspiring her to be a patient advocate
• how she became expert at playing down her own pain

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