The Sickle Cell Community Consortium powers the Vitamin SC3 podcast. This new broadcast features different weekly themes for the sickle cell community, their families, supporters, healthcare workers, and allies. Each week, episodes of the Vitamin SC3 Podcast will air with a different theme in mind.

Today's show is hosted by Dr. Marjorie Brewer who spoke to us about mental health on her segment Self-care is Healthcare.
Dr. Brewer's guest today is Ayoola Ogunyimika also known as Her Silence. Ayoola is a self titled artist, poet, writer, and extraordinary creative, She loves using her artistic abilities to express herself. Ayoola chose “Her Silence” as her poet name because she speaks from a place of solitude. Her Silence is a poet born from the trauma of complacency. Her Silence no longer allows the wavering doubt that has filled her head to stop her from speaking words of love, demise, acceptance, and control through poetic catharsis.

Ayoola's experience as a Nigerian first-daughter fuels her art, which has been instrumental in her growth as a creative. Àdùkẹ́ Adé or AA are her art tags which bares the same name as her art business. Àdùkẹ́ means a daughter we love to cherish/pamper, and Adé relates to royalty/the crown. Her goal is to find creative autonomy in her holistic mediums as an Art Therapist with a speciality in Narrative Medicine.

Dr. Brewer and Ayoola touched on some important topics such as:

• Going on a self-healing and self-care journey as a young adult in college (Timestamp 7:23)
• How has accessing your voice can have a positive impact on you as a person? (Timestamp 21:00)
• Learning how ask questions and speak up for yourself. Sometimes doctors are only looking at your lab work so sometimes you will have to educate them. (Timestamp 22:00)
• Learn to be responsible for yourself and honor yourself during hospital stays (Timestamp 26:15)
• Building community with hospital staff (Timestamp 28:00)

Follow Ayoola's journey and artwork:
Her Silence is on Instagram @artby_ayo

The next episode of the Vitamin SC3 Podcast drops next Monday

Please tune in next week for a new episode we will be hearing part 2 of the Self-care is Healthcare segment with Dr. Brewer and Ayoola.

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