Life After Transformative Therapies
What Is Survivor’s Guilt?
Survivor’s guilt can happen when your health improves while others continue to struggle with sickle cell disease.
After a transplant, gene therapy, or another transformative treatment, many survivors expect to feel only joy and relief. But healing can bring unexpected emotional complexity.
You might find yourself thinking:
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“Why did I get a match when others didn’t?”
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“I feel bad celebrating my cure.”
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“My friends are still in pain.”
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“I don’t feel like I belong anymore.”
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“Why do I get to move forward when someone else didn’t?”
If you’ve had these thoughts, you are not alone.
Survivor’s guilt does not mean you are ungrateful.
It means you are deeply connected to your community.
Patient Voices
Disclaimer:
The quotes featured are from real patients who have experienced transformative therapies for sickle cell disease. To protect their privacy and honor their confidentiality, stock images have been used for visual representation. The individuals pictured are models and do not correspond to the specific patients quoted.
“I got the transplant and my baby brother was my donor, but my cousin didn't have a match. She still has pain and that makes me sad.”
Hasmin Rodriguez, Transplant Survivor
Why Does Survivor’s Guilt Happen in Sickle Cell?
For many warriors, sickle cell disease is more than a diagnosis — it’s a shared identity, a shared language, and a shared fight.
When your health status changes, it can feel like:
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You’ve crossed into a new world
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You can’t relate the same way anymore
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You’re leaving others behind
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You don’t have permission to move forward
Sickle cell can feel deeply communal. When one person receives access to a cure or transformative treatment, it often highlights the painful inequities in access for others. That tension can be heavy on survivors.
What Survivor’s Guilt Can Feel Like
Survivor’s guilt isn’t always obvious.
It might show up as:
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Minimizing your progress
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Avoiding conversations about your improvement
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Withdrawing from the community
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Feeling disconnected from old friends
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Anxiety about “outgrowing” your identity as a warrior
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Feeling pressure to become an advocate immediately
It can coexist with gratitude. You can be thankful and still grieving.
