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