HOW TO AVOID UNNECESSARY BREAKFAST. PART 1

 

How to avoid unnecessary breakfast - Ezenwa Lilian Oluchi.

Breakfast in Nigeria, a western part of Africa is often described as a sad and emotional moment in a relationship when a man or a woman suddenly breaks up with their partner. This can come up in many ways, but one of the easiest ways to “Chop breakfast “ is not being aware of your partner’s Genotype and Blood group. It’s safe to say some people are not intentional about this, some glamour for expensive dates in amazing restaurants, going for movie nights and of course focused on the suave looks of their partners. 

In this section, you will be intrigued to know about Genotype, the right partner for you and also how to navigate such scary scenarios.

What is Genotype?

To be simply put, Genotype is a genetic makeup of an organism ( Man and Woman). You can have the same physical resemblance with someone, act alike and have the same shape, but in reality no one is absolutely identical. The Genotype is literally what makes you a specific and unique individual.

There are basically 5 types of Genotype.

• AA

• AS

• SS

• AC

• SC

  
  

When it comes to choosing a spouse, AA possesses the most suitable type of genotype, AA genotype can confidently be in any relationship with any other genotype. There was a trend in Nigeria one time people with genotype AA claimed that “ Na them dey rush us” what this means is that they are superior to other genotypes.

AC genotype is a rare type of genotype which can be hardly seen. The genotypes SS  and SC are regular and anomalous, commonly causing Sickle cell disease. Sickle cell disease occurs when individual blood cells are shaped in a deformed and abnormal manner, potentially blocking blood flow, causing pain and damage to the vital organs.

In a deep conversation with my Dad a few years back, he told me a story of a family that had 9 children and lost about 8 of them. At that point, the woman was accused of the cause of the death of their children. This resulted in a family crisis and the breaking of their home. It was years later they found out both couples were both AS genotypes and they had recurring children of SS genotype. This obviously happened in the era where health and technology hasn't evolved. 

You could imagine what the couple went through in the case of losing their children. At this age, everyone ought to know their genotype before choosing their life partner.

Genotype compatibility 

When there is no chance that two people may become pregnant with a kid who has sickle cell disease, they are considered to have compatible genotypes. The universally compatible genotype, genotype AA, ensures that no matter who they partner with, they will never give birth to a child who has sickle cell disease.

Here are compatible and incompatible genotypes.

AA + AA = compatible

AA + AS = compatible

AA + SS = compatible

AA + AC = compatible

AS + AS = incompatible

AS + AC = incompatible

AS + SS = incompatible

AS + SC = incompatible

SS + SS = Incompatible

AC + SS = incompatible

SC + SS = incompatible

Several data have shown that Nigeria has a high case of Sickle Cell patients in the world. It is sad that notwithstanding the pains and financial frustrations that comes with taking proper care of a sickle cell patient, many people fall prey to getting married to partners with incompatible Genotype .

In a recent post on Facebook, a lady who said she is an AS patient, but going to proceed in getting married to a man of same genotype claiming she has a spiritual assurance from the pastor that God can change any negative report. In that post, a marriage counsellor advised that it is dangerous to embark on such a risky journey, we should not let our emotions control us.

In conclusion, love is a beautiful thing, but it wouldn’t withstand the pressure that comes with having children with sickle cell. It won’t only crush your finances, it will drain your emotions, cause you and the child lots of trauma and damage mental health. I would confidently say it’s a crime bringing forth children to suffer. To avoid an unnecessary heart break, at the Hello stage of the relationship, ensure you find out if your genotype matches and endeavor to stay away and do not let emotions build up.