The Chief Executive Officer of Breast Care International, a non-governmental organisation, Dr Beatrice Wiafe-Addai, says the death of a single Ghanaian woman from breast cancer is on too many, saying the situation is unacceptable as the disease is preventable and treatable when detected early.
Dr Wiafe-Addai attributed many of the breast cancer deaths of Ghanaian women to superstitious belief about the disease being caused by witchcraft.
She expressed regret that some breast cancer sufferers had been kept at prayer camps by pastors who indoctrinated them that the disease was spiritual and therefore, could be cured by miracles and prayers, without seeking medication attention.
Consequently, she encouraged women to disabuse their minds about these myths, but rather seek medical attention whenever they observed anything unusual in their breast after performing self-examination on it.
The BCI’s CEO was speaking over the weekend in Accra at a mini durbar after a four-hour float through the Accra Central Business District to educate market women about the need to ensure the health of their breast at all time and should not wait for the situation to get out of hand before resorting to hospital as the last option.
The float amid brass band music provided by the Ghana National Fire Band was patronised by representatives of the BCI’s partners and sponsors who distributed flyers to hype of the awareness campaign.
The annual activities by the BCI was part of programmes line up for the month of October as the Breast Cancer awareness month.
‘Your Breast: Your Health’ is the theme for this year’s awareness week, which would help increase sensitisation to enhance regular check-ups and screening for early detection and treatment.
Additionally, it would help reduce the stigma associated with the disease.
Dr Wiafe-Addai said breast cancer caused 685,000 deaths globally in 2020, and in Ghana, over 4,000 women are diagnosed annually, accounting for 31.8 per cent all cancer cases.
“Once it is advanced, it spreads to the other organs of the body and can cause death. So, women should not allow their lives to be taken by a disease, which could have been treated,” she said.
“Every woman’s breast is unique, know your breast, they are your properties,” she added.
Dr Wiafe-Addai advised women to live healthy lifestyles by keeping a weight check, being physically active, and limiting alcohol intake.
Also, they must not be afraid to seek medical treatment if they noticed any abnormalities in their breast, and encouraged them to regularly check their breasts to detect any unusual growth early.
Madam Vivian Sarfo, the President, Peace and Love Breast Cancer Survivors, advised men not to desert their wives if they developed breast cancer but to rather support them to get treatment.
Peace and Love Club who are cancer survivors spiced up the event at the forecourt of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) as evidence that breast cancer was not a death sentence as it was ignorantly thought.
Children who have survived the cancer, smartly adorned in pink t-shirts thrilled the local and international signatories at the event with their dancing skills to encourage the general public to lend a helping hand to the children, in the form of educational scholarships to enable them to realise their potential in life.
BY NORMAN COOPER
