Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Our Men, the strength and Support Women need in fighting the disease.
I am one of the very few men who understand what breast cancer disease really entails. Growing up as a child, one hardly understands issues about dreadful diseases and the hardships associated in fighting such diseases, such a pity.
l remember l had a cousin and when she’s at home, one side of her breast look puffed and the other side just flat, I asked why she’s that way but in our part of the world, information concerning sensitive parts of the body cannot be disclosed to children due to religious practices and certain beliefs in our society.
However, during adulthood and the inception of the Internet l became enlightened, even though l wasn’t taught at school about breast cancer disease, l got informed about the disease while watching a movie.
In the movie, a woman was battling this evil disease, chemotherapyy couldn’t cure the disease, doctors on the other hand couldn’t find a solution to the disease which led to her death because she refused to see her Breast cut off while among the living.The movie gave me a fair idea why my cousin had one breast amputated.
My cousin had a tough time in finding a man to date, most of the guys who had interest in her ditched her after realizing one of her breast was off and this affected her real bad, her life actually became a cancer that people kept cutting off.
Unfortunately, In Africa due to ignorance and misconceptions, we tend to blame the devil for various predicaments which is a pity. She went through this torture due to ignorance on the part of our men who should have stood strongly behind her and loved her because it was no fault of her for loosing one of her breasts.
In this month of October declared breast cancer awareness, I will entreat our precious women to go the hospitals designated for the breast cancer screening to undertake this exercise in order for immediate treatment to start in case any tumor or growth is detected. Early detection helps in early treatment. According to the World Health Organization, there are about 1.38 million new cases and 458 000 deaths from breast cancer each year (IARC Globocan, 2008).
Breast cancer is by far the most common cancer in women worldwide, both in the developed and developing countries. In low- and middle-income countries the incidence has been rising steadily in the last years due to poverty, illiteracy, ignorance, increase urbanization and adoption of western lifestyles. The findings are terrifying and the time is now for action before it claims the lives of many women.
Dear mothers please kindly consider the ages of your kids and how terrible it is for a child to live without a mother and avoid any behaviors or conditions that predisposes one to the breast Cancer disease.Eventhough the cause is not really known but it will be better for every woman to play safe and be conscious of any behavior that has a tendency of predisposing a woman to this disease.
Our Mothers, Our women we need you in our lives, Our lives are not complete without your love, understanding, care and unflinching support. How will our world be without you in our lives?
To my fellow men, we are the source of support and strength that our women need in fighting this disease. Men are protectors, courageous therefore we supporting women in taking care of their breast goes along way in saving our lives also. We need women to help in developmental projects in the country and we the men must support strongly behind our wives,daughters,sisters and aunties in the fight against breast cancer disease and its hallowing experience.
By Festus Mawuli.
