First blood, second chance

Refusing to let the health jeopardy of a serious blood condition hold her back, Sonia Chane-Sam found support and succour in cycling

- David Bradford

“I have a massively addictive personality,” confesses Sonia Chane-Sam, speaking to me via laptop from her living room in Southwark, south London, when I ask how she first got serious about cycling. “I was already doing lots of gym-going, plus a bit of running, and I was really into spinning.”

Her gym obsession was brought to an abrupt halt in 2014 when, aged just 33, she suffered a stroke and was urged by doctors to ease off the throttle. “I was told to quit smoking, live as healthily as possible and avoid stress,” recalls the 40-year-old. “As a single mum working and studying, I’d just finished my accounting diploma but had to drop my uni plans.”

Thanks to her high level of fitness, Chane-Sam made a full recovery from the stroke – but it had not come entirely out of the blue. Six years earlier, while pregnant with her second child, she had been diagnosed with sickle cell disease (SCD). An inherited condition that mainly affects people of African or African-Caribbean origin, SCD disrupts haemoglobin production and leads to the formation of rigid, sickle-shaped red blood cells. The symptoms include blood vessel blockages that can trigger intensely painful “sickle cell crises”, as well as anaemia, organ damage and an increased risk of infections. On top of this, Chane-Sam has begun to notice cognitive effects. “I find it hard to remember facts, which can make me feel ashamed – I avoid quizzes.”

The only way of managing the condition, in Chane-Sam’s case, is by having regular blood transfusions. “Every four weeks I’m hooked up to a dialysis machine and my own blood is removed as I receive 10 pints of donated blood.” She stresses her gratitude to donors. “I’m reliant on others giving blood.”