‘How I survive stage four breast cancer afta doctors give up on’

By Karina Igonikan

“Doctors give up on me…But God show me grace to show pipo say dem fit survive breast cancer.”

Na so Ethel Olomu, a stage four metastatic breast cancer survivor tok to ginger oda women for one breast cancer screening event wey hold for Port Harcourt, River state for Southern Nigeria.

She tell BBC Pidgin say she don dey cancer free for 12 years as na for 2010 she bin get diagnosis say she get cancer for her breast.

“Na for early 2010 e happun. I bin dey sleep wen I feel one small lump for my breast. Wen I wake up I tell my mama wey be nurse say I feel some kind pain for my breast make she help me check my breast. Na wen she check she see a big lump, me I no know. “

Her mama advise her to go check am for general hospital so she go di University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital UPTH go do check up and di doctor tell her say na normal lump wey evri woman wey get breast dey get so na somtin for her to panic about.

Di doctor advise her to remove di lump and she do lumpectomy wia dem comot di lump come test am.

Wen di result come out, Ethel say di doctor tell her say notin dey as e no dey cancerous and she happy continue with her life travel go Lagos for one course she bin dey do.

Five weeks afta di test result and nine weeks afta she do di lumpectomy, around 3:00am wen she wake up to go piss she realise say she no fit get up from bed. She try manage stretch hand put on di bedside light na dia she notice say di whole bed dey soaked.

“I come begin wonder wetin soak di bed like dis, but as I look down, my breast dey as big as 100 pipo head, e dey like swollen balloon wey wan burst and e dey leak, don soak di whole bed. I fear as I see myself so. Di only pesin I fit call na di medical doctor wey do di lumpectomy. I call am dat very night.

I tell am see wetin I dey see so and im say e dey strange but e try calm me down and send one medication to me via text message say make I take am say e go make di swelling come down as e fit be say na inflammation for di incision site.

I take dat medication for three days and e no make any difference. All dis three days I no fit step outside becos di breast bin dey so big and di oda one dey normal so I no fit do anytin.”

Ethel say she later go back to di hospital she do di operation and dem look am and do anoda procedure to drain di fluids but e bin no change anytin.

She tok about how she go on to do two oda corrective surgeries wey no change anytin.

‘Traditional/herbal treatment no fit treat cancer’

Di frustration also lead her to try herbs.

“Di first time we go meet di man for Elechi Beach waterside for Diobu Port Harcourt, e assure us say make we no worry as dis na im specialty. We see many pipo daily wey dey go take treatment for different sickness too.

Wetin im go do na say im go mix some concoction with some roots wey e go give me to drink and den e get di ones e go rub on my breast wey go shrink am.

Weneva im rub di concoction for dat breast na so I go scream, faint from di pain na so I go dey for like one hour before dem go revive me and I go dey in pain becos wetin e dey wrap for my bodi dey very hot and peppery and so becos I no fot bear di pain na so I go faint.”

Na so we try dis one for close to a month before my mama say no, e don do make my pikin no go die dia and di tin dey get worse by di day.

All dis time, di wound dey di place dem do dat first lumpectomy as e dey open and leak fluid and pus.

Ethel Olomu

BBC
Ethel say various tests she bin first do no show any sign of cancer yet she dey die.

‘Back to di hospital’

Afta dis, Ethel say dem return back to hospital again come do all manner of tests for like eight months, yet no cancer dey show for di test results until dem take her samples to India. Na for India dem confam say she get cancer – stage four wey don spread go her oda organs.

“My pipo come ask if dem fit send me come India. All di hospitals dem send my files to for India reject am say e no dey treatable again as she get few weeks to live.”

More dan 10 hospitals for India reject her file before one hospital come agree but to raise money become di next big challenge.

Ethel finally meet one of her customers wey recommend one Nigerian doctor wey bin based for America. Na so her treatment journey take begin.

“She say India ke? Na so she take phone call one of her doctor friends wey just come from America, Dr. John Ojukwu wey dey practice for Atlanta, USA. Dat period im bin dey Abuja.”

“Dr Ojukwu come say make dem bring me come Abuja so dem waybill be go Abuja go im treatment centre.”

“Wen im see me, Dr. Ojukwu say dem don bring deadibody for am say noting e fit do but later e say make dem bring me back becos e say I see light for your eye.”

By dat time, Ethel no dey tok again but her eyes just open. Di way she dey take communicate na to just blink her eye.

Ethel say she bin dey anemic and very thin so di doctor start di treatment with blood transfusion for like six weeks. Afta dat, e say she dey a bit stable to take chemotherapy.

“So e come give me di first chemo. Di chemo na once in three weeks. By di third week, di swollen breast don shrink. Na dat time im say im go work with me.

At di end of di day, we do nine sessions of chemo and mastectomy, dat na to remove di breast.

Afta di mastectomy, di next tin na radiotherapy according to di treatment plan, to kill all di cancer cells wey di chemo no see.”

Medical scanning machine

Ethel Olomu
Ethel Olomu spend over a year on cancer treatments with many tests, scans and chemotherapy

Ethel say she spend one year plus for Abuja dey under go di treatment and dis na for 2011.

While dem dey wait for di radiotherapy, Ethel say her doctor tell am to run some tests to see how di chemo treatment go and e go also determine di number of radiotherapy sessions wey she go take.

“So I come Lagos go Mecure go run di tests as my file already dey with dem.
We go do all di tests and scans. Dem call me again say make I come redo all di procedures again. I go back redo all di tests and scans again.”

So di third time around di owner of di centre hersef na im come supervise dis third round of tests. Afta dat one, dem say make I go meet my doctor.

Di next day by 8:a00m I go im office for Lagos as im don open a centre for Lagos too wey dey specialise for cancer treatment and care.

As soon as my doctor sight me dey waka enta di compound, na so im run out come jack me up dey shout for joy. E carry me like baby and I confuse. I tell am say I no understand wetin dey happen?

Im tell me congratulations! Indeed your God don do am. Im tell me say I no need to to Ghana again for di radiotherapy.

You know for di treatment plan, di doctor bin tell me say after di radiotherapy treatment I go dey on one cancer medication for 10 years so no recurrence of cancer go dey again, but di doctor come say I no dey go Ghana, I no need di radiotherapy and I no go dey on dat medication again.

Na dia di doctor come explain to me say weda I no notice day I repeat di tests, all na becos di centre call am to ask weda im really send dem di right file becos dem no fit find even a cell of cancer for my system. E no dey as of I even take chemotherapy.

Di way im describe am e be like say di cells for my body dey like a new born baby own wey never sick for one day. Dat na im make dem gatz repeat di tests and procedure over again as di results and di history wey dey di file no dey correspond.

So I ask am wetin dat one mean, e say e mean say your God don answer so e call dem for Ghana to give my slot to anoda pesin becos I dey fine. E tell me to stop di drugs wey I bin dey take and come back in three months for anoda test.”

Ethel Olomu

BBC
Ethel Olomu dey advocate and hold regular breast cancer screening for women

Ethel say di doctor tell her not to do any stressful work for di next six months, make she just eat and rest, relax. Make she take am as six months vacation and dem come back for tests in three months.

Wen di three months pass, she go run di tests and scans again and e say she dey fine, make she come back in anoda three months again. After dat, e come become evri six months wey she do twice den e come be to dey do di tests evri year.

“So evri year since dat 2012, I dey go do di tests wia dem go check my whole bodi from head to toe and I dey fine. No cancer for my bodi. I no dey take any medication without clearance from my doctor.

Sake of her journey, Ethel start her foundation – to reach out to do cancer advocacy for rural communities and do free breast cancer screening for women and men and dem don discover many cases of cancer at various stages.

Dem dey try provide support and treatment for a lot of cancer cases for communities across Nigeria for Rivers, Lagos, Delta, Ogun odas.

Women

Ethel Olomu
Through her foundation Ethel Olomu dey organize free breast cancer screening for women

‘Breast cancer na di commonest cancer wey dey affect women worldwide ‘

Dr. Sukarime Eli, a consultant obstetrics and gynaecologist with di University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital UPTH say breast cancer na di commonest cancer wey dey affect women worldwide and Nigeria dey contribute approximately 27% of new cases.

E say global reports show say 2.3million new cases of breast cancer dey occur with over 600 deaths resulting from breast cancer.

E say, “Report from International Agemcy for Research in Cancer IARC with partner institutions globally wey reference di 2020 figure project say with di ways tins dey go, by 2040, e go get about three million new cases of breast cancer with over one million deaths.”

Dr. Eli add say for sub-Saharan Africa wia Nigeria dey, many cancer patients often dey come late to hospital and so di outcome dey very poor whereas for developed world, early presentation by early detection through screening dey give a good outcome.

E add say Breast cancer wey present with pregnancy na anoda big challenge as to manage am get many sides and go include different medical personnel. Dis na im make dem dey advocate Pink October for women to go for regular screening so dem fit detect and start treatment early to get better results.

Dr Eli add say data from di Cancer Registry for Nigeria show say over 9000 new cases of breast cancer dey diagnosed in Nigeria of which over 2000 na women between di ages 15 to 39. Dis mean say about a quarter of women wey get cancer of di breast na women wey dey reproductive age.

Reports also show say a little below one-third of deaths from cancers in Nigeria na from breast cancer.

Women

Ethel Olomu
Women wey dey prepare to do breast cancer screening for Port Harcourt

‘Know your breast so you go know wen some tin change’

“Di best way to protect yourself against breast cancer na to know your breast.”

Na so Dr. Lucy Idiese, consultant radiation and clinical oncologist of di University of Benin Teaching Hospital UBTH tok.

Dis na im make dem dey celebrate ‘pink october’ wey be say throughout di month of October to raise awareness about breast cancer.

She say di ‘Pink October’ na also to honour breast cancer survivors, remember those wey don die becos of breast cancer and support di progress in di fight against breast cancer.

She explain say cancer na change in di cell wey make up any tissue or organ for di bodi to make am become malignant, dat is to dey uncontrollable, harmful and infectious.

She say dat cell get potential to comot from wia e start from and spread to oda parts of di bodi without control, “ e be like wild fire so na im make e dey important for women to always dey check dia breasts regularly so dem go quick know wen tins change.”

Steps to check your breast

Women wey dey do breast exam

Ethel Olomu
Wen women regularly check dia breast dem go know wetin dey normal and abnormal so dem fit seek help on time
  • Get a particular period in di month wey you go regularly and consistently check your breast. For pipo wey dey see dia period dem fit check few days afta dia ovulation or few days afta dia monthly period.
  • Stand before a mirror and expose your breast. Look am well so you know how di normal dey. You fit also sidon look am well – di shape and colour of di breast skin.
  • Raise your left hand above your head and use your right hand to touch and feel your breast moving in a circular motion. Afta, use your left hand to check your right breast.
  • Touch and examine di breast. Divide di breast into four imaginary segments: upper outer quadrant, lower outer quadrant, upper inner quadrant and di lower inner quadrant. Also check your armpits and clavicle. For each of dem you touch and press down in a circular motion feel di portion of di breast and you dey look for a lump as you gently rub each segment.
  • Squeeze di nipples to see if any discharge go come out of dem

Wetin be breast cancer?

Dr. Lucy Idiese wey get over 20 years experience in cancer treatment define breast cancer as di tumour, a malignant change for di breast.

She say e dey occur wen di cells wey dey di breast begin change uncontrollably for di different parts of di breast like di ducts, di stroma, di blood vessels so any part fit dey affected. Na transformation from di quiet cell to a malignant cell wey get potential to move from wia e start to oda parts of di bodi.

Dr. Lucy Idiese say e no get any known cause of cancer but e get some risk factors wey be say if pipo dey exposed to fit result to am.

Di consultant oncologist say some non-modifiable cause of breast cancer na:

  • Age, as pesin no fit change im age and as pesin grow older, e dey likely to develop cancer.
  • Sex, dat is gender; a female gender get a greater chance to get breast cancer, even though 1% of men don get breast cancer but for women di statistics na one in evri 8 or 10 women fit get breast cancer as e dey very rampant and alarming.
  • Genetics: e get di BRCA Gene: BRCA 1and BRCA 2. Di genetic make up of di pesin. A family wey get di BRCA gene get di risk factor to develop breast cancer so a test for dis gene dey important.
  • Family history: if a family get positive family history wey be any pesin for di family don get am, di possibility dey high especially for first degree relatives dat is a mother, a daughter or a sister to develop cancer. So if mama get breast cancer, di possibility say di daughter go get am dey higher.
  • Dense breast: na breasts wey get a relatively high amount of glandular tissue and fibrous connective tissue and relatively low amounts of fatty breast tissue. Pesin wey get dense breast dey at risk of breast cancer.
  • History of breast cancer: Pesin wey don get breast cancer before get a high possibility to get am again or pipo wey get oda breast diseases like fibrosistic disease fit end up with breast cancer.

Modifiable cause of breast cancer according to Dr. Idiese na di one pesin fit change like environmental, smoking, drinking excess alcohol, fatty diet, obesity, use of oral contraceptive pills, some anti- hypertensive drugs, wen woman no born pikin on time, as old as 35 fit make her more open to get breast cancer.

Women on cancer advocacy

Ethel Olomu
Education and advocacy dey very important for pipo to dey aware of cancer and for dem to seek help early

Signs and treatment for breast cancer

Dr. Idiese say di commonest symptom of breast cancer na painless lump for di quarter outer quadrant of di breast. A painless lump wey pipo dey call a seed, e just feel as a hard seed for di breast wey no dey painful.

Discharge from di nipple. Any bloody, greenish, yellowish or colour of discharge from di breast fit be sign of cancer.

Eczematous change. Any change for di breast, like dimples all over di breast wey dey hard fit be sign of breast cancer.

Dr Lucy Idiese

BBC
Dr. Lucy Idiese say goment don put interventions to help di high cost of cancer treatment

Treatment for breast cancer

  • Lumpectomy and Histology test: Dr. Lucy Idiese advice say once pesin discover any lump for di breast, comot am immediately and send di biopsy sample for histology test and if e dey positive start treatment immediately wey fit include di ones below.
  • Chemotherapy
  • Surgery to comot dat mass or lump dem discover
  • Hormonal therapy and Targeted therapy
  • Radiotherapy

‘Help dey to check di high cost of cancer treatment for Nigeria’

Dr. Lucy Idiese note say though treatment for cancer dey very expensive all over di world, sake of advocacy, di Nigerian Goment don start di Cancer Health fund to provide money for treatment of indigent patients and dis fund just start few months ago for 2022.

She add say di National Health Insurance Scheme NHIS don also include some of dis cancer drugs even though pay from pocket still dey more.

She dey appeal for goment to do more so dat Health insurance go cover more treatments for cancer like di tests and investigations, therapies and medications so more pipo wey get cancer go survive.