Great job have been done so far on sensitizing the world about the effects and dangers of breast cancer. I remember vividly consuming international and local content on the television about breast cancer that made me to embark on many impromptu visits to the hospital and they kept sending me back each time that they discovered nothing.
Many years ago while running an errand for our class teacher, my friend and I went inside a convent where we met a reverend sister and a random water who was sitting uncomfortably on a plastic chair. The woman was wearing a long gown with a read scarf on her head.
We started perceiving an ugly smell and upon scrutinizing the area to know where it was coming from our eyes landed on the woman's left breast. Her dress was already wet cause of the wound she has on her breast and she was fighting off the flies that were struggling to have a taste of her pains.
The image of that woman never left my mind because I have never seen anything like that before. Few years later, we came to understand that it was cancer that kept that woman in that ugly condition.
Three years ago, my friend discovered a painless lump on her right breast. When she broke the news to me, I can see and feel her pains even though we were conversing on the telephone. We remembered her, Yes that woman in pains many years ago.
We immediately booked an appointment in Ikoyi miliiaty hospital Lagos and a surgery was recommended. On that very day, my friend was inside the theatre while I was at the waiting room. There were about eight women who were waiting for the same surgery including an eighteen years old teenager. This got me thinking seriously that this breast cancer knows no age.
I entered a conversation with the teenager's twin sister and she explained to me that her sister has been experiencing serious pains on her breast and each time she complined their mother would give her a pain reliever until now that the pain became so unbearable.
I said a silent prayer for her sister who was already inside the theater. Their mother was at the other end of the room pacing up and down nervously.
An older woman in her forties entered the room and sat beside her. She disclosed that she was booked for surgery too. According to her she had her first surgery in a hospital within her district few months ago but the lump grew again. She was referred to come to this hospital to re-do the surgery and the person that referred her assured her that the hospital have capable hands and the lump will not appear again.
I wished her a successful surgery before leaving the room to go grab a quick lunch for i was famished.
My friend's surgery was successful and upon examination it was discovered that the lump was not cancerous. We rejoiced and thank God.
Not long, I paid a visit to this classmate of mine and I met her looking downcast. She confided in me that her fifty-six years old mother was diagnosed of breast cancer.
" Where is she ? how is she taking the news?" I asked.
My classmate took a deep breath and talked as If counting her words...
" She refused to to accept the diagnosis. Infact she has been moving from one prayer house to another to cast out and reverse the report of the diagnosis".
I pleaded with her to further extend my pleading together with her's to her mother. She can survive this if she start her chemotherapy on time and if possible take out the breast.
It took her weeks before she was able to convince her mother to seek professional help and commence treatment. Her mother spent three almost four months in the hospital and she was FREE
I visited my classmate' s supermarket the past week and i saw her mother attending to customers and by the lovely expression of her face I was optimistic that she was happy to be alive after going through prophylactic mastectomy.
" She is missing her breast though" my classmate whispered in my ears smiling.
LET THAT BREAST BREATH TODAY
TAKE OFF THAT BRA
BREAST CANCER AWARENESS
