A woman who has spent nearly her entire life in the grip of sickle cell disease has opened up about the relentless pain that has shaped every part of her world.
For Soleme Mealin, the condition has meant decades of agony, isolation and fear, yet also a determination so fierce that she has raised three children and pursued a PhD despite enduring chronic pain.
Her journey inspired her to write a book called ‘Born Beneath The Veil of Pain’ for younger people facing the same diagnosis.