In memory of Jamel King - A loving single father of 6

On Christmas day, my brother, Jamel King, 38, tragically passed away following a heart attack after a long battle of sickle cell disease. My brother was taken to the Princess Royal University Hospital in Orpington on Sunday, December 22, after facing a sickle cell crisis. We was told he would be discharged on Boxing Day but after an unexpected call on Christmas morning, we rushed to the hospital. My brother died two hours later.

Jamel was an incredible, funny, caring and selfless man who was a wonderful son, a fantastic brother and an incredible single father of six beautiful children (3 girls, 3 boys, aged between 6-17). My brother was given the life expectancy of just 1 year when he was born, but he was a warrior - a fighter who despite all the odds, including emotional and physical abuse, would never give up on his children or his family.

My brother did not have life insurance or a funeral plan, and as a family we are living pay check to pay check. Now taken on his tribe, we are asking for any help to not only give him the send off he deserves but aid to help his children adapt to their new life living with their Nanny, Aunty and Uncle. The children have faced great trauma before and now this pain is unimaginable. Christmas day will never be the same.

For those unaware, sickle cell anemia is "an inherited lifelong blood disorder that causes red blood cells to become hard and shaped like a sickle, blocking blood flow and causing a range of serious health problems." When a carrier suffers from a crisis they experience an extreme amount of pain anywhere in their body. Death from a sickle cell crisis can be sudden and unexpected, and is often associated with acute events. According to South London ICS, London has the most people with sickle cell disorder, and South London has the highest number of people living with sickle cell disorder, with over 3,800 people living with the condition.

My brother was meant to come home with his blood levels stabilising, however, the oxygen in his blood drastically and unexpectedly lowered on Christmas day. His death is currently being investigated. Jamel asked to be taken to St Thomas' Hospital where they specialised in the illness but was refused due to the distance. Despite the best efforts of the staff at the Princess Royal University Hospital, the doctors often called on my brother's haematologist at St Thomas' for advice but this was not enough to save him.

The sickle cell society reported that there is low awareness of sickle cell among healthcare professionals and clear examples of inadequate training and insufficient investment in sickle cell care. Care failings have led to patient deaths and ‘near misses’ are not uncommon. The 2021 inquiry heard that awareness of sickle cell among healthcare professionals is low, with sickle cell patients regularly having to educate healthcare professionals about the basics of their condition at times of significant pain and distress and that there is routine failure to comply with national care standards around pain relief when patients attend A&E. Please click the No One's Listening Campaign for more information.

Thank you for making it this far. Our whole lives have changed and we are please asking for any help at all. We also hope that our brother's story also brings further awareness to the illness and reform takes place in hospitals across the UK. Many thanks, the King Family.