PASADENA, CA - MAY 06: Dalvin DeGrate attends VH1's 2nd annual "Dear Mama: An Event to Honor Moms" on May 6, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic; LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) (L-R) Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas attend the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California on March 27, 2023. Broadcasted live on FOX. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for iHeartRadio)
Jodeci’s Mr. Dalvin is asking fans to send prayers for TLC’s T-Boz after it was revealed that she is experiencing a sickle cell anemia flare-up. The ‘Cry For You’ artist shared the request in an Instagram video.
Dalvin DeGrate, also known as Jodeci singer Mr. Dalvin, asked fans for prayers on Monday. The TLC singer, whose real name is Tionne Tenese Watkins, reportedly missed a performance on Sunday, August 27, at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in New York. Subsequently, Chilli performed solo.
Sickle cell anemia causes misshapen red blood cells that affect the hemoglobin molecule, leading to blocked blood flow to the rest of the body. Symptoms may include sudden onset episodes of pain, chronic pain, stroke, lung problems, eye problems, infections, and kidney disease.
Mr. Dalvin took to Instagram to ask fans to pray for T-Boz amid her health setback.
“Praying for u @therealtboz we love u dearly #God1st #snakekilla #mrdalvin #jodeci.,” he wrote.
Roomies were quick to offer prayers and send T-Boz well-wishes for a speedy recovery after seeing the video.
User @yellow_dymond wrote, “Awwl T Boz wishing you a speedy recovery.. sickle cell sucks.”
Additionally, @ericbellinger added, “Praying!!! .”
User @gingging7 replied, “By His Stripes TBoz Is Healed In The Name Of Jesus ~Isaiah 53:5.”
@ayymanman noted, “Lord, cover her today and always . Protect her, guide her, and keep her blessed .”
In addition, user @lowcarbiebarbie.nene replied, “The goat get well soon!”
User @chefsonyamo added, “Praying for a speedy recovery .”
Furthermore, @simply_un4gettable exclaimed, “Lord have mercy we cant take no more!! .”
User @junction_ent replied, “ my fav TLC member. God cover her!”
While @bri.ni wrote, “Oh NO!!!! Hang in there, T!!! Sending you positive and healing energy! .”
User @only1divinity added, “Thats a true friend! Sending prayers and healing energy & strength to T Boz! Shes been fighting for such a long time!”
@ryanshanell_86 noted, “She has sickle cell prayers for my fellow warrior !! And September is sickle cell awareness month .”
T-Boz was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia when she was 7, and she talked about living with the disease in her 2017 memoir, ‘A Sick Life TLC n Me: Stories from On and Off the Stage,’ according to PEOPLE.
The singer was told that she would not live past 30, and today, she is 56.
“I looked around,” she recalled. “Who was he talking about? I was going to be a famous performer. He was clearly mistaken.”
Not only was she told that she would die before she was 30, but T-Boz was also told that she couldn’t have children. However, she had her daughter, Chase Rolison, in 2000 with now-ex-husband Dedrick Mack 10 Rolison.
Watkins added that the disease is something she has to worry about daily, and the pain sometimes makes her “delirious.”
“I have to worry about it every day of my life,” she said to PEOPLE in 2017. “You can be in so much pain you get delirious….My life, my sick life has been tinged with illness. But I refuse to be defined by it.”
