Wife of Kebbi State Governor, Mrs. Zainab Bagugu and some celebrities have sensitised women to the dangers of cancer. TONY AKOWE reports
For the Kebbi State governor’s wife, Mrs. Zainab Bagudu, sensitising the womenfolk to the dangers of cancer has become a passion. For several years, her involvement in creating awareness about cancer and available treatment options has continued to wax strong.
Expectedly, her major focus in the campaign is the womenfolk, who have been at the receiving end over the years, with little encouragement from the larger society.
In a bold statement, Mrs. Bagudu has continued to inform the public, especially women, that having cancer isn’t a death sentence.
So, when she stormed Abuja recently during her campaign against the disease, it did not require much effort to attract celebrities to join the one-day event that rekindled hope in many patients who shared their experiences about the scourge.
Mrs. Bagudu, who is the founder of Medicaid Cancer Foundation, has continued to inspire patients with words of encouragement and hope. Her effort has been yielding positive results as patients, mainly women, have been coming forward to narrate their experiences and how they have been coping with treatment and therapy.
According to her, the Medicaid Foundation has assisted more than 200, 000 people across the country since it was set up a few years ago.
Patients narrate experiences
Zainab Yakassai, who is an employee of Federal Judicial Service Commission, said she discovered a lump on her breast in October, last year and was diagnosed of breast cancer a month later.
To her, it was a death sentence. But help came her way through series of chemotherapy and other forms of treatment. And by September this year, she was declared cancer-free and has been living a healthy life since then.
Another patient, who simply identified herself as Ijeoma, said she was diagnosed of breast cancer in July, last year. And like Yakassai, she went through the rigours of cancer treatment and has just been declared cancer-free a few weeks ago. Ijeoma advised others in similar situation to face the treatment with courage and determination in order to be alive.
Another patient, Ocheme said she discovered a lump in her breast while doing her National Youth Service a few years ago. “I went to the hospital and was diagnosed of cancer. Immediately I got the information, I was distabilised. But there was a voice that told me that was not the end of life and that voice came from Medicaid Foundation. Since then, they have been of tremendous help to me. They assisted me and I went through surgery and here I am today, cancer-free,” she said.
Sandra Vee described her cancer story in a long narrative, saying that she had lived all her life running away from cancer but which she eventually suffered from. According to her, she grew up believing that eating meat causes cancer.
In fact, the greatest fear in her family, especially her father, was the fear of cancer.
She said: “Mine is a long and short story. Surviving cancer is a story that one doesn’t know how to narrate to the next person. It is a story one would want to keep to oneself. But sometimes, it is a story that one should share with others so that other women will know what to do when they notice something in their breasts.
“I noticed a 2cm lump in my breast on January 2, 2019 and immediately rushed to the hospital. I went through scan and doctors revealed to me that it was fibroid enemas. With that, I was supposed to relax, but I did not. I went to different hospitals and they all told me the same thing. I went for leaptoctomy, an operation to remove the lump.
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“Immediately I removed the lump, I went to the National Hospital, Abuja and did a histopathology test which confirmed that I had triple negative cancer. I was begging for death to come, I was begging for the ground to open and swallow me, but none of that happened. I never knew that a day will come when I will survive this cancer.
“As a child, I was a vegetarian. So, when they say meat causes cancer, I never bothered. I didn’t even know how meat tastes. My parents told me from the onset that my mother’s family has a history of cancer. So, you must eat right. My father was afraid of cancer all his life and I woke up one day and discovered that I have cancer.
“At the National Hospital, I remembered one of the doctors came and told me that even though it is triple negative, the drugs are there, and that I could make it. The same 2cm lump I found on January 2 had grown to 7cm a month after. That is how fast cancer spreads and it kills as fast as it comes.
“But with the help of Medicaid Foundation, I was able to survive it. I became a vegetarian and ate limited kinds of foods for fear of cancer. While we lived in America, we never ate certain food just to avoid cancer. I came back to Nigeria to see my mother in-law and they refused to grant me visa to go back. It was like a death sentence.
Currently, this foundation has given me hope and I am standing here today to tell you that you can become a cancer survivor, especially if you discover it early. I keep telling those who have cancer and have refused to go for chemotherapy that I went through eight rounds of chemotherapy and here I am. The only thing it turned me into is a glutton because I eat uncontrollably, not knowing when to stop.”
Plea for cancer centres across the country
Mrs. Bagudu pleaded with government at all levels to ensure the establishment and equipping of cancer centres in as many locations as possible, stating that she got involved in cancer care in order to save lives. The governor’s wife said even though she is not an Oncologist, she was motivated into establishing the foundation as her own contribution towards saving lives. According to her, only a few non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are currently involved in the cancer awareness campaign in the country.
She lamented the cost of cancer treatment, describing it as very expensive.
“We are here talking about Radiotherapy, which is about N400, 000. The world needs to do more to eradicate cancer. Take for example, when the issue of HIV/AIDS first broke, there were so many NGOs involved in the fight, apparently because people can easily be infected.
“But cancer is not like that. The awareness level is low and many women are dying daily. This is what I like doing. That is why I prefer being called Founder of Medicaid Cancer Foundation to being addressed as wife of Kebbi State Governor because I became founder before becoming the wife of the governor. My being wife of the governor has a tenure because, after eight years, my husband will no longer be governor. I thank God that he has a second term now. But that will end in another four years,” she said.
The President of Women Arise for Change Initiative, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin praised Mrs. Bagudu and her Foundation for bringing succour to cancer patients.
Okei-Odumakin said: ”For eight years, you have been creating awareness and this Foundation is 12 years old. Cancer is the second largest killer disease. It knows no race, no tribe, no religious inclination and no age. That is why we must continue to create adequate awareness. I have been to the National Hospital and when I see those there who are suffering from cancer, I become convinced that they have hope. So, we must continue to create awareness on early detection, which is crucial.
Celebrities at the event included Nollywood actress, Toyin Abraham and former Super Eagles Captain, Peter Rufai among others. Participants at the walk described it as the longest against the ailment on the African Continent.
” We are here talking about Radiotherapy, which is about N400, 000. The world needs to do more to eradicate cancer. Take for example, when the issue of HIV/AIDS first broke, there were so many NGOs involved in the fight, apparently because people can easily be infected. But cancer is not like that. The awareness level is low and many women are dying daily “
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