Surviving Cancer and Its Many Traumas

Beyond the nerve-wracking pain of cancer of any form, not much has been said about the many traumatic experiences cancer patients pass through. Rebecca Ejifoma, who spoke to two survivors, sheds light on their tales of woe including a divorce suit occasioned by the disease

Breast cancer, according to research by GLOBACAN, is the first leading cause of death in women in Nigeria and globally. It is estimated that about 9.6 million people die of cancer. Estimates also show that each year of the over 200,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer, more than 40,000 will die. However, some women continue to combat the illness and live their best lives despite the many hurdles.

A Survivor’s Tale

One of such women is Mrs. Kola Ade, a young mother of two boys, aged 10 and five. Regaling THISDAY with her story on a certain Saturday afternoon at Care Organisation Public Enlightenment (COPE), a breast cancer awareness network, she jubilated alongside about 20 other women and survivors who shuffle life and career with either a single or double mastectomy.

While she has learnt to forge ahead without her feminine assets – breast – she reminisced about how the page of her tragic diary began when she was diagnosed with cancer in May 2013. It was at that point she conceded that her world had fallen apart while doubting that the centre may never hold.

She recalled: “I was diagnosed in May 2013. When I was told I felt I was going to die. I thought I was alone. I was depressed. I would go and sit down in an isolated place.” Lost in the forest of her thoughts, Ade bumped into Care Organisation Public Enlightenment (COPE), a breast cancer awareness network. “I told the president and CEO, Mrs. Ebunoluwa Anozie, about my ordeal and she promised to help. She gave me a call and said she had found a sponsor for my treatment.”

Role of Mentorship
Like many others who seemed depressed, Anozie counselled Ade and introduced her to older and more affluent women who were fulfilling dreams as breast cancer survivors home and abroad. “When I came here and saw other women, everything about me changed. The belief I had about cancer changed and that gave me hope that I was not going to die,” the mother of two explained.

Soon, Ade went in for lumpectomy (removed lump) and mastectomy (removed breast) in May 2013. “So I did my chemotherapy that same year and everything has been fine since then.”

Everything fell perfectly into place for Ade until last year when she started having pains on the same spot she had surgery. “I went to the hospital and was told to do another operation. After the operation, I went for toxicology and I was told it was a recurrence of that cancer. So I had to start treatment all over again,” she sobbed.

As a business woman, Ade had chemotherapy for at least six sessions. “The cost of chemotherapy can’t be predicted because the drugs can be changed at any time for the radiotherapy. I think the only place they have it in Nigeria is in LUTH and it costs N1m.”

Spousal Abandonment

Sadly, while many survivors have their partners staying true to matrimonial vows, for better or worse in sickness and in health, Ade’s husband has filed for a divorce. In his words, “I didn’t bargain for this”. Despite being shattered Ade chose to go down swinging. She pressed on and solicited financial intervention.

And indeed, fortunes smiled on her. At the COPE end of the Year party, Ade received a cheque of N1.680m. “I don’t know if you know the sponsor. I’d still like to know the sponsor, but she didn’t tell me I’d like to pray for her. She doesn’t even know me, she just told her about my story and what I’m going through and she decided to help me in less than ten minutes.”

New Lease of Life

For many survivors battling the global pandemic and cancer simultaneously, depression and rejection have become their trademarks. Only true families and friends continue to shoulder their burdens.

So when Funmi Ola turned 40 in 2006, the doctors gave her just six months as her last days on earth. She was in stage two of cancer.

“I’m 55 years old now. I was only given six months to live and now it has been 15 years. So that is medical practitioners failed because it’s God that is on the throne. But I didn’t stop taking my treatment.

“It all started when I observed a lump in my left breast. Then I sought medical help. Unfortunately none of them could get it until I took my own fate in my hands and I decided to live because I know this is a death sentence. First thing I did was to go to a private hospital where I worked before and I invited my doctor friend working in LUTH,” she recalled.

As a practising nurse, Ola insisted there was a lump despite reports from three doctors showing there was no lump. “I went ahead to remove it. I filled in the histology form myself. I took it to the lab and three weeks later the doctors gave me a negative answer that I have six months to live if I waste time.

“Of course I didn’t waste time. I had to quickly go see who is necessary. I went to the oncologist first and they told me I’ve come to the right place and that they need to give me a shot of chemotherapy, a kind of injection that kills the cancer cells. Afterwards, I went to see the professor that did the surgery, it was professor Wole Atoyebi so he said “madam will you be ready for this surgery”.

Soon, Ola proceeded for chemotherapy – one shot, then the surgery followed by 11 shots altogether at three weeks’ interval. Afterwards, she had radiotherapy in University College Hospital in Ibadan (UCHI).

In her words, “I had to go there for my radiotherapy for six weeks and since then I tried to live and continue to encourage others. Throughout the 11 shots of the chemotherapy I didn’t have a single pint of blood. God really helped me and I really took care of myself too.”

Lessons Learnt

While being a source of inspiration to others, Ola reminisced about her many depressing nights. “The lessons I learnt were big ones,” she highlighted. “I learnt that God overall. I also learnt in a big way that if there’s no money one can’t really survive cancer. Averagely, to treat cancer is to say majorly chemotherapy is over N20 million, not at a go but in divided doses in bits.”

Suicidal Thoughts

In the words of Ola, cancer is synonymous with depression. “Going through chemotherapy and all those treatments, even the breast is being removed the body is somehow shapeless when you stand in front of the mirror.

“You don’t want to even stand in front of the mirror because you’ll want to close your eyes when you see your body in front of the mirror because you’re battered. As a nurse, battering is not the intention of your surgeon but for you to live. So for most people it’s a mental challenge, most people go through depression and depression will eventually end in suicide.”

Cancer Care and Treatment

The 55 years old had the first seven shots for about N70,000. Ola added that she took one last drug for N1.2 million. “Then I did radiotherapy in a government setting so it was cheaper.”

Sadly, according to the survivor, she spent over N3 million. “One bad thing about cancer treatment is not that when you have money you will go and do it. By the time you have money to go and do it one would have been buried then.

“I practically went begging for money, borrowed, and collected money from cooperatives. I was determined. Even with the financial aspect, I backed it up with prayers thanks to friends and families.”

Call to the Government

To the leadership of the country, Ola recommended radiotherapy machines be put in place and that the government should subsidise the treatment of cancer because once there’s no money there’s a problem.

“For treatment of cases like HIV, they supply their drugs for free. Cancer too should be something like this, it’s expensive though but the government can do it for people to survive,” she hinted.

Word for Other Survivors
For Ola, her nuclear and extended families stood by her. Hence, she has a word for others living with cancer. “Hope on God, and find a support group. So I will say you shouldn’t go through it alone because it’s like committing suicide.”

C.O.P.E as Hope Bringer
Anozie has been the brain behind COPE, the inspiration these survivors see, the counsel they hear and the hope they hold on to.

Sharing her opinion she said: “If you look at education, what sort of education do we have now? Do they teach these things in school, do they teach the girl child that when she attains puberty she is supposed to check her breast? That is what we should let the children know in Biology.”

The CEO also insisted that schools should inculcate into students the habit of checking their breasts once they start menstruation.

She appealed: “We have many young girls in secondary school, who have benign lumps but not cancer. I was in primary school when my brother’s colleague had breast cancer, yes luckily she’s still alive I guess. So I’m just appealing that the government should do the needful, equip our hospitals. It’s very sad.”

Quote

“Radiotherapy machines be put in place and government should subsidise the treatment of cancer because once there’s no money there’s a problem. For treatment of cases like HIV, they supply their drugs for free. Cancer too should be something like this, it’s expensive though but the government can do it for people to survive”