A book that chronicles the life and impact of a childhood cancer ambassador who led the fight against childhood cancer in Ghana and beyond has been launched in Accra.
Titled, ‘A short life, huge impact – Breanna Fosua Addai’s story,’ the 76-paged book was authored by Mr Solomon Addai, father and Executive Director of Breanna Memorial Childhood Cancer Foundation and edited by Mr Isaac Awuku, Consultant, Business Trainer Book Editor, Advent Press.
The book with five chapters had the forward written by the first lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, who bought in the idea of the nine-year-old childhood cancer ambassador, Breanna Fosua Addai of blessed memory.
Late Breanna Addai died of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) at the Rebecca Akufo-Addo Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital on August 3, 2022.
She advocated the incorporation of childhood cancers into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) benefit package, to relief burden of parents due to the expensive treatment of the disease.
Notwithstanding, late Breanna also made an appeal to international leaders to intervene in a ceasefire during the Russia and Ukraine war to help save lives of children with cancer in Ukraine of which over 20 children living with cancer were airlifted to the United Kingdom to undergo lifesaving cancer treatment.
Launching the book as part of her one-year commemoration in Accra on Thursday, Mrs Akufo-Addo said the late Breanna was an exemplary cancer ambassador who fought cancer valiantly and advocated for and saved the lives of many children with cancer.
Narrating her encounter with the little Angel which led to the inclusion of the Burkitt Lymphoma, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, WilmsTumour and Retinoblastoma cancers into the NHIS, Mrs Akufo-Addo said “she was a beacon of hope, love and inspiration.”
She said while childhood cancer was dreadful, it had a high treatment success rate if caught early and treated accordingly.
She therefore called for the urgent need to support the government to improve the health and wellbeing of Ghanaians especially women and children, saying “foundations set up to support children with cancer can make a significant difference in the lives of children fighting the disease and their families.”
The first lady commended Breanna Foundation for their effort towards the fight against childhood cancer and urged individuals, corporate institutions to support the effort of properly organised credible foundations like the Breanna Memorial Foundation who are striving to alleviate the pains of children living with cancer and bring some relief to their families.
The Chairperson of the Foundation, Mrs Esi Hammond, said with the remarkable achievements, the foundation had taken bold steps to build an organisation based on international best practices to ensure that any person or institution that supports Breanna Foundation automatically contributes to the lives of a childhood cancer.
In view of that, she said the foundation had developed a USSD code (*789*333#) that allowed mobile phone users to subscribe and donate GH¢1 per month towards the treatment of childhood cancer.
The Member of Parliament for Tema West Constituency, Mr Carlos Ahenkorah who auctioned the book expressed commitment to ensure parliament support the course to affect policy in health so that child and women treatment of cancers were promoted.
BY VIVIAN ARTHUR
