‘I’m Still Here. I’m Still Fighting’: Black Men Living — And Fathering — With Sickle Cell Disease
Clifton Kirkman II moves through life with an invisible weight on his shoulders — and in his blood. A Detroit-based father, journalist, and patient advocate, Clifton has lived with sickle cell disease (SCD), a genetic blood disorder that causes chronic pain and organ damage, for 38 years. Yet when asked what defines him, he doesn’t start with illness. He starts with love.
“I’m a father first,” he says. “My 11-year-old daughter, Crystal, is my pride and joy. She didn’t ask to be here. Life happens, but I owe her my best — even on my worst days.” Across the U.S., sickle cell disease disproportionately affects Black communities. But Black men living with SCD often face a double burden: the pain of a chronic, life-threatening illness and the pressure to perform traditional roles of masculinity — protector, provider, leader. For Kirkman, the toll is both physical and emotional.
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