“A few years ago I was told I was a good candidate for a potential cure for sickle cell disease.” The only cure for SCD is stem cell transplant, where affected bone marrow is replaced – a radical procedure that has a high success rate but isn’t without serious risks.Ĭyclist Richard Miller (Watford Velo) has been riding with Sonia since her first foray into group cycling “There’s something else I should mention,” she says. Midway through our conversation, Chane-Sam unexpectedly rewinds to pre-Covid times. I felt very vulnerable.” Unable to ride outside, she resorted to the rollers and toiled to revive her old love of exercising indoors. “I was pretty scared of what could happen,” she says, “knowing I could have another chest crisis or stroke. During lockdown, Chane-Sam had to be very extra cautious, shielding herself from the outside world for two months.
Within a year, she was a fully fledged rider embracing the full spectrum of what club cycling had to offer – and continued to do so until the pandemic hit. “I remember my first club ride to Richmond Park – on my hybrid with my backpack crammed with two locks, bottles and my big purse,” she laughs, remembering her newbie naivety, “and when we got there, I thought that was the end of the ride!” After taking part in the London-to-Brighton charity ride with workmates, Chane-Sam threw herself into training and joined her local club Clapham Cycle. “I find it hard to remember facts, which can make me feel ashamed – I avoid quizzes.”Īnd become a better cyclist she promptly did. On top of this, Chane-Sam has begun to notice cognitive effects. 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.
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. Six years earlier, while pregnant with her second child, she had been diagnosed with sickle cell disease (SCD). 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. “As a single mum working and studying, I’d just finished my accounting diploma but had to drop my uni plans.” “I was told to quit smoking, live as healthily as possible and avoid stress,” recalls the 40-year-old. 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.