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2 breast cancer survivors share their stories with The Spectator
Mrs Vivian Gyasi- Sarfo
Two women who have survived breast cancer through the instrumentality of the president of Breast Care International(BCI) Dr(Mrs) Beatrice Wiafe Addai have shared their experiences, exclusively with The Spectator to mark this year’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October).
Dr Wiafe Addai is again the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Peace and Love Hospitals in Accra and Kumasi.
Her contribution to the fight against breast cancer in Ghana can never be swept under the carpet following the number of human lives she has saved.
Mrs. Vivian Gyasi-Sarfo, President of Peace and Love Survivors Association (PALSA) stated that she was 47 years old when she began feeling pain in her breast and losing weight which resulted in other sickness.
“I didn’t know I had lump in my right breast. I only experienced some thickness close to my armpit, dizziness, and pains around my chest” she disclosed.
The breast cancer survivor, having survived cancer for the past 18 years said she visited the hospital when the disease was at stage one because she was aware she had a family history and this made her treatment easier.
President of Peace and Love Survivors Association told The Spectator that as part of her treatment she went through breast conservation, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and later did her surgery.
Talking about her challenges after the treatment Mrs. Gyasi- Sarfo said she lost interest in sex and lost her hair during her chemotherapy.
She urged the public to disregard the notion that breast cancer was not treatable, adding that over 300 others in the Association were living witnesses to the curable nature of cancer.
She stated that, she was now confident and a better version of herself stressing that “it has taken me to places like South Africa, Abidjan, Germany, Malaysia etc for conferences”
“Sometimes I wish the world could see us when we gather for our meetings so that they will know the exploits of Dr Wiafe Addai in helping us recover from cancers for so many years ’’
“The possibility of getting breast cancer is real, so anytime you see a breast screening programme somewhere find the time and get screened because the end stage of it is very terrible,” she said
Madam Joyce Aidoo, another survivor of breast cancer for the past nine years said she was diagnosed with breast cancer after she had her first daughter, and decided to seek herbal treatment but to no avail.
She recounted that a man who was diagnosed with breast cancer directed her to Peace and Love Hospital to seek early treatment and she has never regretted taking that bold step.
According to her, she became a laughing stock in her community because her right breast was becoming bigger and bigger which resulted in her husband divorcing her.
Miss Aidoo said her treatment was breast conservation, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
With excitement, she said even though she had lost her right breast she used silicone.
She disclosed that she had never had any complications after surgery and advised women not to be afraid when the need arose for their breast to be cut off.
“I will use this opportunity to thank Dr. Wiafe and her team for the special care given to me. If we do not shake the conscience of the public about this reality, we will wallow in self-deception and self-denial about this disturbing trend, as our women perish, even though a cure exists,” she stressed.
Breast Cancer, a non-communicable disease is the number one killer among women. The fight against the disease is a global one and Ghana is no exception.
About 4,650 women are diagnosed with breast cancer annually in Ghana but more than 2,000 women die annually.
Every year, October is set aside as breast cancer month to create awareness about the non-communicable disease.
Interestingly, the myth surrounding the disease makes a lot of people to go for herbal treatment or prayer camps or resort to concotions at the high risk of losing their lives.
Yet, others have been able to survive the breast cancer after going through treatment and this is how two survivors shared their success stories with The Spectator.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
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GEXIM deepens relations with US EXIM Bank
A management team of the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) led by the Acting Chief Executive, Sylvester Mensah met with the leadership of the Export–Import Bank of the United States (US EXIM) on Wednesday April 23, 2025 in Washington DC, United States of America.
The Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM, Mr. James C. Cruse and Vice President, International Relations, Ms. Isabel Galdiz received the GEXIM delegation, which included Deputy CEO for Banking, Mr. Moses Klu Mensah and Head of International Cooperation, Mr. Jonathan Christopher Koney at the headquarters of US EXIM.
The meeting offered the GEXIM team the opportunity to share the strategic direction of the Bank in line with the resetting agenda of the President of the Republic, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama for the repositioning of the Ghanaian economy into an export-led one by providing the requisite investment to Ghanaian businesses.
Mr. James C. Cruse expressed US EXIM’s eagerness to deepen its existing relations with GEXIM and proposed the signing of a new Cooperative Framework Agreement following the expiration of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2019 to utilize US EXIM’s medium term loan guarantees to procure machinery by GEXIM for qualified Ghanaian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
Mr.Sylvester Mensah thanked the Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM for hosting the GEXIM delegation and reaffirmed the Ghanaian government’s commitment to strengthening trade and investment between Ghana and its global partners for economic transformation of Ghana with GEXIM playing a pivotal role.
The two teams will be meeting on the sidelines of the 2025 US EXIM Annual Conference on 29th and April 30, 2025 to explore possible areas of collaboration and matching Ghanaian businesses to American companies. The meeting ended with an exchange of gifts.
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Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation –Pres.Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has expressed concern over the misuse of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) for personal financial gain by individuals in leadership positions.
Speaking during a meeting with Chief Executives of specified entities under the State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA) on Thursday, March 13, the President directly attributed the dire state of SOEs to their leadership, accusing chief executives, management teams, and governing boards of prioritising personal enrichment over organisational efficiency.
He pointed to bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures as factors draining public funds while SOEs continue to rely on government bailouts.
“Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation by appointees. The chief executives, management, and boards of these enterprises are responsible for this situation. Some SOEs have become perennial loss-makers, draining public funds with bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures while relying on government bailouts as if entitled to them. Many of these entities are at their lowest point in the entire history of the Fourth Republic,” he said.
President Mahama further noted that many SOEs have been plagued by inefficiencies, corruption, and mismanagement, leading to consistent financial losses. He cited the 2023 State Ownership Report by the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), which highlighted systemic inefficiencies and wasteful expenditures within these entities.
He therefore reaffirmed his commitment to reforming under-performing SOEs and ensuring they serve national interests.
He warned that loss-making SOEs will no longer be tolerated and will either be merged, privatised, or closed.
“I will assess you based on your performance. If you do not align with the pace of the reset agenda, you may be asked to step aside. If that adds to the horror movie, so be it,” he added.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
