Breast cancer survivor advises women on regular screening

A breast cancer survivor, Ms Comfort Onyayi, has advised Nigerian women to always go for regular breast and cervix cancer screening for early detection and proper treatment.

Onyayi gave the advice on Saturday in an interview with our reporter in Abuja.

“My advice to ladies is that they should not sit down till when the breast is paining them before they know that there is a problem; that was the mentality I had before now.

“In fact, before the pain starts, it would have already been in the advanced stage; women both in rural and urban areas should always examine themselves and go for screening.

“My story is a bad one; glory be to God that I am alive today to testify, because I thought it was a death sentence,’’ she said.

Onyayi, who lost her left breast to cancer, said her ordeal started in 2014 when she came back from work.

“I went to change; I pulled my bra and felt my breast is itching and tried to scratch the area, that was when I discovered that the area was strong; that is how my ordeal started,’’ she explained.

According to her, she visited the hospital that same year to find out if the growth was cancerous and when the results came out in March 2015, they diagnosed that it was malignant.

“After the removal of the breast, I went back to the hospital again for checkup and they discovered that the cancer was the aggressive type, so the treatment had to be aggressive.

“I was told to get N1.1 million per session of treatment; I went home to wait for the day that I would die, but 18 months along the line, Project Pink Blue (PPB) found me.

“ I told them my story and they mobilised and got N16 million for my treatment; I thank God that I am alive today to testify.

“I am very strong today because I have overcome that horrible stage in my life, it was so bad that I was losing my hair and nails, I thank PPB,’’ she said.

Onyayi pleaded with the government to help victims of cancer, saying that many were dying because they did not have the opportunity she had.

“I am thankful to God and Nigerians that contributed money for me; the treatment was done in the National Hospital here in Abuja.

“Ladies should endeavour to go for cancer screening to detect early, and if that is done, the treatment will be simple and less expensive,’’ the survivor said.