In 2003, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It started with the appearance of a boil under my right breast. I quickly went to the hospital and was sent for mammogram, the result showed nothing serious.
There was reappearance as a lump in 2007. I did series of test and ended up doing biopsy that finally confirmed that I had cancer. I did entertain fear because of the awareness. I went to a private hospital to remove the lump and was later referred to LUTH {Lagos University Teaching Hospital} for further treatment.
At LUTH, I was prepared for mastectomy that I did not undertake until August 2010. All other treatment such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy were completed in August 2011. After some months, I recovered and thought that everything was over until when in June 2012, the wound opened up again; I was placed on Xeloda in which I took six courses. Thank God I got over it.
In June 2013, I went for my normal check up and the doctor suggested that I should go for CT Scan that revealed that I had bone collapse and some deposits in the lungs. I went for a repeat of the test in December 2013 and January 2014 I was placed on radiotherapy for two weeks and bone injection for twelve (12) months and the doctor planned me for chemotherapy. Radiotherapy cost N50,000 and Bone Injection N60,000/month, while still awaiting the cost for chemotherapy.
APPEAL TO THE GOVERNMENT
While appreciating the government and some concerned organization like Care Organization Public Enlightenment (C.O.P.E) and others on the issue of awareness, I feel that at this level that cancer is spreading like flame of fire, we need more than awareness. The drugs must be subsidized for awareness to be effective people are dying every day. Cancer cases get out of hands before they are taken to the hospitals.
We appeal to the government to come to our aid!
FELLOW SURVIVORS
- Eat well and sleep well.
- Eat a lot of vegetables and fruits. This will help you maintain normal blood level and increase your immunity level.
- Live your normal life as if nothing bad has happened to you. In fact free your life off it.
- Do exercises but don’t stress yourself. I have lived with it to discover that each time I stress myself, I have crisis. The crisis had in 2012 and 2013 was due to stress. Whether we like it or not, we can’t do things the way we used to.
- As a religious being, even though you can’t fast you can continue to pray.
- Have strong faith that you will overcome the disease and use your drugs when due.
- Do not miss any appointment day, unless the doctors and nurses are on strike.
