admin
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
MRS Praxcedes Madume-Museza suspects she could be developing cancer in her right breast.
About three weeks ago, she started experiencing pain in the breast but initially didn’t suspect anything.
When the pain persisted and a lump suddenly emerged next to the nipple, she panicked and started to suspect it was breast cancer.
Since October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign used by various organisations to raise awareness about the impact of breast cancer, Mrs Madume-Museza decided to take advantage of the period and seek expert medical advice, information and screening.
To her surprise, there were no cancer screening services in Victoria Falls nor was there an information desk to assist people in need of cancer services. Breast cancer forms in the cells of breasts and mostly occurs in women and rarely in men.
Breast cancer requires medical diagnosis but people are also encouraged to do self-checks on their breasts and if they feel unusual lumps or pain, they should seek medical attention.
Symptoms of breast cancer include lumps in the breast, bloody discharge from the nipple, changes in shape and texture of the nipple and breast, swelling of the breast and retraction of the nipple.
Treatment depends on the stage of the cancer condition and may consist of chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. Mrs Madume-Museza said on the day she decided to seek medical help, she was tossed from one health centre to the other without receiving much assistance. She was eventually examined by a private doctor who prescribed some treatment but the pain and lump haven’t disappeared.
Mrs Madume-Museza is concerned that the lack of information and inaccessibility of facilities are some of the reasons many women succumb to breast or cervical cancer as they present late and eventually struggle to raise money for treatment.
Some delay in getting assistance because they would’ve been turned away from health facilities on numerous occasions. They’re told there’s no doctor, the screening machine is down or they have to book first in order to be attended to.
Meanwhile, the cancerous condition will be developing to uncontrollable stages.
“I started developing pain in my right breast and after some time, there was a lump next to the nipple. It was so painful and I suspected it could be cancer so I started asking around about where I could get screened.
“I went to Victoria Falls Hospital and was told there were no screening services and proceeded to Chinotimba Medical Centre where I was told the same. After going to two more private health facilities and being told the same, I got discouraged and almost gave up. I started imagining how many ordinary people end up succumbing to cancer because of this,” said Mrs Madume-Museza.
She went to The Health Bridge where doctors said they would only diagnose her when she had a reference from a general practitioner.
That is when Mrs Madume-Museza went to PSMAS and a doctor diagnosed her, but not with cancer.
Up to now, she doesn’t know whether the lump is cancerous or not.
“I was in so much pain and confused. I didn’t know what to do next, especially with no information. The doctor told me it could be abscess and gave me a one-week treatment for pain. The pain and lump are still there three weeks after the treatment,” said Mrs Madume-Museza.
She said each day she looks at her breast and feels the pain, she gets scared that she will one day die from cancer. Some women have survived after undergoing a mastectomy where one or both breasts are removed while many others have succumbed to the condition.
During the month of October, a significant number of organisations co-ordinated various activities to raise awareness about the disease.
Some companies had their workers wear pink ribbons as a way of raising breast cancer awareness.
While the idea was noble, the information gap remains wide among members of the public, including in Victoria Falls.
In an effort to bridge this gap, activists like Ms Nothando Phulu who is originally from Bulawayo, dedicate their time and resources to fight the chronic disease that is among the leading causes of death in the country.
The pain of losing her father to cancer of the bone in 2018 inspired Ms Phulu to start Breast Agenda, a breast cancer initiative whose objective is to raise awareness among members of the public to improve health seeking behaviour, screening and seeking treatment in time.
Breast Agenda started in Bulawayo and has spread to Matabeleland North in Hwange, with plans to penetrate other provinces.
During the month of October, Ms Phulu partnered with Fort Street Medical and Dental Centre in Bulawayo to offer free breast cancer screening services to women as part of activities meant to raise awareness and fight the disease.
Ms Phulu said a number of women were screened free of charge. She also used radio and social media to raise awareness.
“I started this initiative in 2018 after losing someone who was dear to me, my father who succumbed to a long battle with bone cancer. I was inspired by the need to address the poor health seeking behaviour in our community.
“People don’t go for medical check-ups and these are some of the reasons why I started this Breast Agenda to raise awareness among community members,” said Ms Phulu, an occupational safety and health practitioner.
Since 2018, Ms Phulu has been educating people about breast cancer, screening and treatment through various activities including distributing fliers and pink ribbons to raise awareness.
She also collaborates with various media outlets.
Ms Phulu uses her own resources and looks forward to partnering with international organisations.
“The programme started in Bulawayo and has reached thousands. My anticipation is to do more awareness campaigns through partnerships. The idea is to grow the initiative to something bigger across Zimbabwe.
“We want people to self-check, screen, and get examined. In the outlook, we want to work with experts, researchers, and people who have been affected by the disease to be able to implement the mandate,” she said.
A significant number of breast cancer charities use the month of October to raise awareness and funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure.
Pink October started in the United States in 1985 and spread to other countries of the world. — @ncubeleon
Online Reporter