Ondo First Lady raises crowd funding for breast cancer victim

The pet project of the Ondo State first lady, Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, the Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN) has raised a crowdfunding for a 45-year-old woman, Mr. Kehinde Akingboye, who is suffering breast cancer.

The caretaker chairperson of the Okitipupa Local Government Area, Mrs. Morenike Alaka, stated this on Wednesday while addressing journalists in Akure.

Alaka said that the crowd funding with N200 Million was meant to support also women in the state who are suffering from breast cancer.

She disclosed that her office got wind of the victim’s (Mrs. Alaka) condition and decided to sprang into action by visiting her family where she was had already been bed ridden.

“In fact, part of her breast is completely destroyed by the virulent disease.

“And her husband could not take her to hospital for medical treatment because of the fear her that her breast would be completely cut off” Mrs. Alaka said

The council chairperson wondered why many of the victims (breast cancer) will always hide their predicaments and not approach medical practitioners.

She added “if they died as a result of the breast cancer, they forgot their husband will marry another wife”.

An Oncologist surgeon from Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owo, Dr. Katung Aba, confirmed her condition, revealing that it was in the advanced stage and requires urgent medical treatment.

He implored them to inculcate positive attitudes despite other constraints like the financial commitment, saying they should not resort to alternative medicine or religion instead of approaching health facility.

“Such decisions are not good for them and the health of the community. Whenever the case of cancer is identified, please avail yourself for treatment even when the cancer is in the last stage; adequate treatment can still save the person.”

He stressed that over 99.9 per cent that were treated for cancer, who often times felt they had been treated, did not get proper treatment due to constraints in financial commitment.

Aba, who also explained the huge finance required for treatment, hinged the success of fight against the menace in advanced countries on effective health insurance policy, lamenting that cancer is excluded in Nigeria’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

“In Nigeria, the only way we can move forward in the treatment of cancer is to develop and strengthen our National Health Insurance Scheme to cover cancer,” he said.

Earlier, Mrs. Akeredolu who also found the BRECAN said a lot of women died in silence due to ignorance and financial constraints.

She emphasized that it had become very imperative for everyone to join the fight to reduce cancer in the society as it will longer be a death sentence for women.

Mrs. Akeredolu who is also a survivor of the breast cancer, maintained that there was need to raise money for women suffering from the ailment.

“There are over three million people in Ondo State and let at least one million people contribute N200 each.

“There will be excess money to provide for them and we raise money for them to visit the hospital,” she said.