"Wonder if Young MA got Sickle Cell": Wheelchair and cane video surfaces online as fans express concern

Fans have raised their concerns regarding American rapper Young MA’s health after a recent video of her getting her hair done in a salon while looking sick surfaced online on Tuesday, March 14.

The Brooklyn rhymer appeared to be in the celebrity barber and comedian @fatsdabarber’s salon. She was seen getting a shape-up of her hairstyle, and her dreadlocks retwisted. What concerned fans about the video was the rapper’s eyes which had a visibly yellowish tint.

Fans have since started vocalizing their concerns for the Ooouuu rapper on Twitter. One Twitter user, @RollyMyMary_xXx, asked if the rapper had sickle cell disease since her eyes looked yellow.

In a video from December 2022, the rapper was spotted riding an electric wheelchair in a grocery store with a cane on her lap.

The woman, Rene Bonét (@renebonet on TikTok), who spotted Katorah Kasanova Marrero, aka Young MA, asked viewers to watch the clip and confirm whether it was the rapper. Later in the same video, Rene confirmed that it was indeed Young MA.

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Young MA fans worry the rapper might be suffering from sickle cell disease, jaundice, or kidney failure

Young’s physical appearance in the salon video worried fans, and they started speculating that the rapper might be battling some serious disease. Her fans began extending prayers for her well-being and shared messages wishing the rapper a speedy recovery.

Many believe the rapper suffers from possible kidney failure, sickle cell disease, or jaundice. Her yellow-tinted eyes made way for jaundice speculation, a disease where one’s skin and the white part of the eyes turn yellow due to increased bilirubin in the blood.

Some Twitter users spoke about sickle cell disease and shared their concerns.

Sickle cell disease is a blood disorder marked by flawed hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a protein molecule in red blood cells responsible for delivering oxygen to the cells and tissues throughout the body.

People with sickle cell disease have “hemoglobin S,” i.e., atypical hemoglobin molecules with a lack of oxygen, which can distort the shape of red blood cells into a crescent or a sickle shape.

These sickle cells end up sticking together, obstructing the easy and smooth movement of the red blood cells through the blood vessels. Thus, it blocks the circulation of healthy oxygen-carrying blood across the body.

Among other symptoms of the disease are yellowing of the eyes, skin, and mouth, as well as jaundice, a common sign of sickle cell disease. These cells have shorter life spans than normal red blood cells, and therefore, they die faster than the liver can filter these cells out. These broken-down cells build bilirubin in the blood, causing jaundice and yellow eyes.

The yellow tint in Young MA’s eyes prompted some fans to wonder if the rapper had sickle cell disease.

Other fans did not go into speculation about the exact illness Young MA might be suffering from. They only prayed that whatever disease it was, the rapper was taken care of.

In recent months, Young MA has kept herself out of the limelight. She last made headlines in April 2022 when her new track Aye Day Pay Day was released. She also launched an NFT capsule, along with the release of her song, to celebrate her career.

The rapper did not respond to or confirm any speculations online.