When Tunrayo Osinowo, a petty trader from Osun State noticed a lump in her breast, she thought nothing of it.
“I thought it was something normal that will disappear later,” she said.
But rather than disappear, the lump kept increasing, and after two years, Tunrayo concluded that it was time to visit the hospital.
Tunrayo’s visit to the Federal Medical Center in Abeokuta was one she will never forget. After undergoing some tests there, she was told she had breast cancer and that she would need to undergo mastectomy; a surgery that involves the removal of one or two of the breasts.
“I was devastated when they told me of my condition. I left because I was afraid. However, I went to another hospital and was told the same thing. They said I should go and bring money but they didn’t really tell me how much. I did not have money for any surgery so I went back home,” she stated in tears.
The 42-year-old mother of three stated that the breast grew so big that she could not continue with her petty trading as she was always in pain.
“I was feeling a lot of pain. If it starts, I will be crying. The health personnel told me to be taking ibuprofen to ease the pain. It really helped me. I was taking herbs too but I can’t say it helped,” she said.
She added that she had given up hope of getting any better.
“I said if God wants to help me, He will. If it is this sickness that will take me to him, so be it.”
However, Tunrayo’s hope was renewed when she got information from her primary school teacher who lived in Abuja, that a certain private hospital, Silver Cross Hospital, was doing a free breast cancer surgery.
Tunrayo had immediately called the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Patrick Ezie, who asked her to come over to Abuja for the surgery.
She told NewsNGR that she had come down immediately for the surgery and that the doctor and his team had given her hope of surviving the challenge.
‘The way I am feeling now is 99 percent different from how I felt before the surgery. Everything was free. Even the blood I was given was free.
In tears, Tunrayo narrated how one of her friends who also had breast cancer had paid a lot of money for her own surgery.
“I called her on Monday and she told me she had done hers too. She told me she paid ₦1.3 million for the surgery. I dropped the call and cried my eyes out. Where would I have seen ₦1.3m for surgery? Where will I even see ₦500? I give thanks to Almighty God for these people that rescued me. Their pockets will never run dry,” she prayed.
Another woman who was full of praise for the hospital after her own surgery was Pastor Mrs. Osuji. Osuji said that the information about the free surgery came to her ‘miraculously’.
“Since February when I discovered the lump on my breast, I’ve been a regular visitor to the National Hospital. I have been doing tests since then and it has taken almost ₦700,000. But there was no headway,” she narrated.
Osuji said she had decided to travel down to Abia State to seek help in another hospital, adding that it was in the very week that she was to leave for Abia that her son sent her the information about the surgery.
“I traced the hospital and met with the doctor, and after speaking with him, I decided not to go to the East again. The manner of approach of the doctor was congenial. He advised and encouraged me,” she stated.
Osuji who expressed gratitude to the doctor and his team, also thanked her friend who encouraged her to seek medical help when she first thought the lump was an insect bite.
The 62-year-old mother advised any woman who notices any abnormality on her breast to seek quick medical attention.
“Once you notice anything like a lump on your breast, don’t waste time in checking it out at the hospital. Let what happened to me not happen to you. If I had known it was such a thing, I would have taken action immediately,” she said.
And beaming with smiles, Osuji said, “I will be 62 years old on August 22nd. I’m celebrating my birthday here in this hospital.”
However, the surgery is not the end of the treatment for the breast cancer patients.
According to Dr. Ezie who performed the surgery, the women would further need to undergo chemotherapy following the surgery.
“When managing breast cancer patients, it is a two-pronged approach; chemotherapy is necessary in addition to the surgery,” he said.
He added that what the hospital and its partners are doing is to reduce the burden of cancer to enable the women live an improved basic life.
“Some have started the chemo and can’t afford the surgery. At least, we have done that for them. Some have not been able to raise funds for even the chemo and the surgery, so what we are trying to do is to at least help them with one of the burdens, which is to remove the mass and urge them to have the chemo done.
“The chemo is six circles for six months. The cost ranges between ₦250,000 to ₦300,000,” he said.
He explained that even before the chemotherapy, the women would need to undergo a test called ‘immunohistochemistry’ to help identify the kind of tumours present in their bodies, and kind of drugs they would be needing.
“We would do the test for them. It costs a lot of money and that is where our partners come in to help. It may not be free but it will be far cheaper than they would have gotten it anywhere else. It is around ₦375,000. Usually, the surgery itself costs about ₦700,000 to ₦800,000.
“Silver Cross Hospital wants to give these women a fighting chance. Surgery is one fighting chance, and chemo is another fighting chance. Doing some of the tests that can put them on the level that they can access chemo easily is also important,” he explained.
According to him, the programme is part of the hospital’s core mission which is to assist the citizens of the country in any way it can.
“Another thing is to show the government what it should be doing for its citizens,” he said.
Ezie further appealed to the government, non-governmental organizations, and individuals to assist the women in paying for their chemotherapy, adding that it would be sad for the women to discontinue their treatment due to lack of funds.
“Most of them are poor and need help. For example, it took the woman that came from Osun two days to get to Abuja because she was trying to cut costs,” he explained.
The doctor believes that it would cost the government little or nothing to declare six months of free surgery and chemotherapy for women living with breast cancer.
“If you do the bill, I don’t think it will take up to a billion naira. The government already has the facilities equipped with doctors and the needed machines, and they are already being paid salaries. So it will be cheaper,” he stated.
Speaking on the possible symptoms of breast cancer, Ezie stated that a woman might notice a change in the skin colour around her breast known as peau d’orange, a fixed lump that is hard and attached to the skin, and sometimes, breast discharge that can be bloody, milky or watery .
“Once you start seeing it, it gives you the idea that you are probably dealing with cancer. Another thing is the location of the lump. Most have a predilection for the right upper part of the breast. Sometimes, they leave nodes that swell around the armpit,” he explained.
While noting that breast cancer is genetically-linked, Ezie stated that those with the family history should be extra-careful and conduct a regular check on their breasts.
“An example of how far someone can go is the Hollywood Actor, Angelina Jolie. She had a double mastectomy. She removed her both breasts. She didn’t have cancer, but she did it because her mother and grandmother had cancer. Once she had removed them, there is no way the cancer can manifest,” he said.
He advised women to conduct a regular self-breast examination, have good health-seeking behaviour, and visit the hospital once they notice that anything is wrong with their breasts.
“Breast cancer is still being studied and we don’t know its exact causes. You may have the propensity to develop the illness but we are not sure of the triggers. Yes, they will tell you that smoking tobacco, alcohol, hormonal pills, environmental factors and all that can trigger it, but you will see people who are not exposed to all that still develop cancer,” he explained.
The doctor warned that breast cancer spreads fast, urging women who have been diagnosed with it to start up treatment immediately.
“Sometimes, there is also the male factor. A woman has a breast that is completely ravaged by cancer and she is telling you that she doesn’t want the breast to go because she feels she will not be attractive to her husband,” he said.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that in 2022, there were 2.3 million women diagnosed with breast cancer and that 670 000 die globally.
Reports also placed Nigeria as one of the world’s highest age-standardized mortality rates of breast cancer and the highest in Africa.
Ezie further stated that the project he is anchoring aims at giving over 40 women who indicated interest in the surgery a fighting chance at living again.
“Our surgery days for the women are weekends. So far, six women have undergone the surgery. It is still ongoing.We want to extend their life expectancy. They still have a lot to give to the country if they are healthy,” he said.