Breast cancer: Abuja family in race against time

By Sola Ogundipe

For Gladys Nkechi Okere, 40, the quality betwixt surviving and dying is measured not successful hope, but successful raising N5 cardinal for a beingness preserving process against assertive bosom cancer.

A devoted and hardworking subordinate of the Abuja Newspaper Distributors Agents Association (ANDA), Gladys, once known for her consistency, rising aboriginal regular to acceptable up her concern and lend to her community, has since stopped enactment and  enactment her endurance from bosom crab supra everything else.

For Gladys, a devoted subordinate of ANDA successful Lugbe, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja (FCTA), beingness has taken a cruel turn. Once known for her consistency, Gladys is present battling the bosom cancer, a life-threatening unwellness .

Her household location successful Lugbe, successful the Federal Capital Territory Abuja (FCTA) tells the communicative of a household pushed to the precise edge. The conflict is not conscionable against bosom cancer, which has ravaged Gladys’ body, but besides against the abject poorness that denies her entree to treatment.

Poverty has stripped this household of dignity. Sometimes neighbors connection nutrient truthful they bash not starve; sometimes, Gladys’ colleagues astatine the newsstand lend tiny amounts truthful she tin bargain her drugs, yet, each time without due attraction brings her person to the unthinkable.

Each time is simply a conflict – for food, for dignity, for the accidental to bargain time, and arsenic the  bills heap up, the family’s anticipation grows thinner, however, their plea grows louder.

“I’m a vendor, and I person been doing the occupation for astir 25 years,” Gladys stated successful an brushwood with Vanguard.

“I person a family, I’m a parent of 4 boys, the eldest is 15, the others are aged 12, 11, and nine. I person been battling bosom crab for 2 years now.

“My hubby is unemployed; helium has not been moving for a agelong clip due to the fact that helium is helping maine to header with this illness. We are hardly surviving, conscionable existing.”

From paper basal to infirmary bed

The travel began successful 2023, erstwhile Gladys was archetypal told she had crab of the close breast. Ever since, the household has been moving from pillar to post.

“When I archetypal noticed the swelling successful my close breast,  what began arsenic a tiny lump soon became a acheronian tempest implicit my life.”

A  scan study from Wuse District Hospital successful Abuja detailed: “A multilocular wide was recovered successful the close breast, extending toward the axillary portion with noticeable distortion successful the bosom insubstantial structure, particularly successful the little close quadrant.

It queried swollen lymph nodes observed successful the close armpit, and a mammogram was advised to get clearer imaging of the bosom insubstantial adjacent arsenic a biopsy was recommended.

Shocking scan results

Optimistic of a hopeful outcome, the effect of the follow-up scan astatine Jenny-Glo Hospitals, Abuja confirmed  diagnosis of aboriginal signifier Invasive Ductal Carcinoma of the close breast.  This benignant of cancer, classified triple-negative  is aggressive.

The effect of  probe astatine the astatine Wuse District Hospital,  raised further suspicion for malignancy. A radiology study indicated the wide was located successful the little quadrant of the close breast.

The examining doctors classified the findings nether BI-RADS Category V, indicating a precocious likelihood of cancer.

Immediate follow-up investigations, including a mammogram and tru-cut biopsy, were advised to corroborate the diagnosis and find the due people of treatment.

Dr. Rabil Farouq, who processed the scan, emphasised the value of aboriginal detection and swift intervention. Gladys was referred to the Oncology Department astatine the National Hospital, Abuja for adept management.

Another probe astatine the National Hospital, Abuja confirmed her worst fears erstwhile a histology study of a bosom wide biopsy dated October 2024, confirmed the diagnosis of Invasive Ductal Carcinoma SBRII (triple negative). 

Gladys said,” There were lumps, they were removed and I was fixed medicine to marque the swelling to spell down but the cancer  became much aggressive.”

My children request me

The children are suffering too,” Gladys lamented.” There was a clip they each fell ill, it was a occurrence not to person mislaid immoderate of them. The eldest who scored 220 successful the JAMB introspection didn’t beryllium for the post-UTME due to the fact that we couldn’t pay.