'Dem comot my breast but di lump grow again come enta my liver, bones and lungs' - Cancer advocate

Dis na tori of 41-year-old mother of three Gloria Okwu wey be cancer survivor.

Her cancer tori start for 2016 wen she notice small lump for her breast.

According to Gloria, hospital tell am say e no be bad lump, and she relax and get hope, but afta she go run plenti tests and di results comot, na dia dem tell am say di lump dey cancerous.

”Wen dem tell me say dat tin dem comot from my breast na cancer, I first shock, e be like say evriwia turn black. I dey see doctor mouth but I no dey hear wetin im dey tok” na so she tok.

Doctors do surgery on her to remove di lump inside di breast but e no end dia as di cancer continue to dey show face.

Di hospital tell am say no machine for Nigeria fit do radiation dat time, so di option she get na to remove di breast.

Radiation na procedure wey involve use of machines to locate di cancer cells for di system and kill dem.

Doctors later do mastectomy on her, dis na surgery wey involve cutting of woman breast from her body.

But she say she no do chemotherapy. Chemotherapy na set of drugs wey dey help subdue cancer cells for body. Di drugs dey very strong and fit kill both good and bad cells for pesin body.

16 months into Gloria cancer journey, di cancer begin grow anoda set of lumps for di same place dem comot di breast.

Na dat time she come gree to do chemotherapy. Her initial fear why she no do chemo be say she hear say chemo dey kill pesin, but doctors say although chemotherapy drugs fit dey harmful but na di major drug to use fight cancer.

Two years after di breast surgery, di cancer still spread enter her bone, lungs and liver.

"Once cancer don comot from wia e start enter anoda part of di bodi, e dey hard to treat, more expensive and more difficult", na so she tok.

She don dey treat cancer for her body for eight years and still di journey neva end. She say she don spend millions to manage stay alive.

According to her, she remove only one breast, di oda breast still dey reach now.

she say she don suffer stigmatization on dis her cancer journey, add say di journey don teach her who be her true friends and who truly care for am.

On dis journey di cancer don spread from one breast to her bone, liver kidney and she still dey manage handle am.

She bin separate from her husband before di cancer start, so na her kids dey help am manage life.

Dis cancer journey no dey be straight journey. No doctor fit give you guarantee say if you take dis medicine cancer go cure.

If uou comot di breast, cancer don end?

Cancer no get cure. If you catch cancer very early, di pesin fit dey alright.

According to her medicine wey you go take and you go dey ok. Medicine fit subdue am and di pesin go dey alive.

If I cut off di breast, cancer don end?

Nana Hawa Lawal Adeyemi na Oncology nurse wey mean say she be nurse wey dey take care of cancer patients.

She tell BBC pidgin say afta dem cut breast comot, dem go chemotherapy, do radiotherapy, and dese procedures dey get side effects.

“Afta di procedure, you need to dey monitor di patient to know how im dey improve or how im dey waka with di side effects, as di cancer fit still show face. Dis na wetin dem dey call relapse.

Gloria Okwu wey her cancer experience don make her turn to cancer advocate say cancer fit still show up again after pesin don complete im treatment.

E good to dey go hospital to check di body. Dis dey help for early detection.

Cancer na disease wey you suppose to dey follow bumper to bumper once e show face.

She say “dis cancer journey no dey be straight journey. No doctor fit give you guarantee say if you take dis medicine cancer go cure. Cancer no get cure. but If you catch am very early, di pesin fit dey alright.”

According to her medicine dey wey you take and e subdue am and di pesin go dey alive.

Side effects include hair loss, no appetite to eat, hormonal changes, rashes for body etc.

Wetin dey cause cancer

According to oncology Nurse Nana Hawa Adeyemi plenti tins fit cause cancer including pesin lifestyle, di kain food pesin dey eat and say pesin fit get cancer if e dey for di gene of her family.

She say “e get some tins wey be say if you dey exposed to am, e go cause cancer. As pesin dey grow older her body go dey change, her homoen go begin change and fit dey give room for cancer to pop up”.

But according to Gloria Okwu some cancer dey happun sake of too much chemical wey we dey apply to our body like cream, di kain food wey we dey eat, plenti processed foods full evriwia,

She say “try dey eat natural food, no smoke cigar, no sidon near pesin wey dey smoke, avoid alcohol, obesity na another risk factor, exercise your body, reduce stress, maintain healthy weight.”

She add say make pesin no expose imsef to too much radiation. But according to her you fit do all dese ones and cancer go still show.

“If cancer show no mean say na death sentence, you go fit beat am, you go fit survive am. Follow wetin doctors tell you and you go survive. Even if dem cut off di breast, e no matter, na make you dey alive be wetin dey important" na so she tok

Cancer medication

Gloria wey don dey do cancer research and advocacy for over three years say although no drug dey to cure cancer but research and technology don help experts produce vacine wey fit handle some cancer cases.

Cervical cancer don get vacine wey you fit take and you no go get cervical cancer for life.

If you get girl child wey don reach nine years old, go give am HPV vaccine to keep her safe.

Hepatitis B na risk factor for liver cancer, if you dey vaccinated for Hepatitis B, you go sure say you don dey safe from liver cancer.