PRAISE

VISIT TO THE KORLE BU ONCOLOGY DEPARTMENT

Hello everyone, so I'm back again with a juicy post on my visit to the oncology department at Korle Bu teaching hospital with the founder of “Pink for Africa”- a foundation based in the United States of America. “Pink for Africa” is a foundation that creates awareness while helping women in Africa and the United States who suffer from BREAST CANCER.

Our visit started with the introduction of “Pink for Africa” to the ladies present and the purpose of our visit to the department; donate an amount of money  with the help of Johnson & Johnson, a company also based in the United States. This was done by Enoch, a professional in the department. The purpose of the donation was to assist those who needed financial support for chemotherapy as well as those who needed financial support for surgery.

The presentation finally started off with the introduction of Mrs. Juliette Mills Lutterodt; a breast cancer survivor who also doubles as the founder of Pink for Africa and the big sister of Majid Michel, the actor. Enoch proceeded to ask if there were any questions and since no one had any; Juliette thanked them all for coming and went around to interact with some of the patients.  She went on to tell them that she could relate to them as she has been through what they are going through. She even had one breast taken off and a scar to show for it. She urged them to hang on since it is a phase which they’ll go through. Hopefully, with God on their side and He making provision by opening the right doors and meeting the right people, their recovery would be a success. She cited an example of a  healthy person being knocked down by a car and dying in the process and added that this is just a challenge for them to overcome. She said her ordeal motivated her to set up “Pink for Africa”. Juliette also advised that early detection saves lives. If you feel a lump in your breast, no matter how little it is, you have to seek a doctor’s help. Waiting a little longer may be too late. “Pink for Africa” asserted that just educating people on breast cancer wasn’t enough so they decided to raise funds for women who are unable able to afford medication.

Along with education, Pink for Africa raised money to help the women who were/are not able to afford the medication since it is a fact that cancer medication is really expensive. Till today, the exact cause of cancer remains unknown. Our diet, our way of living, our environment, a lot of different things are contributing factors to cancer. There are researches going on in other parts of the world to find out the exact cause of cancer. Mrs. Mills-Lutterodt emphasized the fact that our diet is one of the most contributing factor to cancer. She also stressed on the need to consume more organic foods, the need to cut down on sugar intake and also the need to pay attention to carbohydrate consumption. Carbohydrates break down into sugar during digestion; cancer and carbohydrates go hand in hand since cancer thrives in sugar. She continued to encourage the consumption of more greens (leafy vegetables), which is one of the ways to strengthen the immune system. A strong immune system can fight off a lot of ailments.

Mrs. Juliette Mills- Lutterodt who lost over a 100 pounds since she had cancer said the choices we tend to make have more effect on us than we think. She, being the amazing soul that she is, proceeded to give an elderly woman arm and foot massage while advising the women to get their hands and feet massaged to enable adequate blood flow. She also advised that before chemotherapy, one should at least eat a boiled potato without any accompaniment that is; so as to control nausea after chemotherapy. She encouraged drinking of more water and less mineral drinks, consumption of less carbohydrates, more leafy vegetables and if possible, cut down on red meat intake while consuming more fish. It was also mentioned that, young ladies need to avoid consumption of food high in oestrogen.  We also found out during the talk that in America, when you go through breast cancer treatment, you go through reconstruction which Juliette also had to go through.

A lady had a concern which had to do with education and she said during education, they were told that having a lump in the breast is the greatest cause for concern. However, from her experience, the lump started developing in the armpit area ,which gradually moved to the breast so it was a little too late to get rid of the lump since it was in its latter stages. She advised that the education should cover up for all areas surrounding the breast. That was when Juliette informed us that our breast tissues extends from the breasts to the armpit area. She advised that women should do self-examination from time to time for the fingertips to get accustomed to the breasts so that when there is a change in the breasts, it can be detected it easily.

For the self-examination, lie down with one arm behind your back to enable your breast cage  be opened for you to get in. Massage in a circular motion and work it all the way to the middle, squeeze the nipple to see  if there is any fluid coming out. Also stand in front of the mirror to check the size of the breasts and see if there are any irregularities.  This should be done one week after your period; and for those who do not menstruate, pick a day in a month to do the self-examination. Breast cancer education shouldn’t just end at the breasts, our diet, well-being and hygiene should be included - something we really need to pay attention to.

We were informed that cancer is also not limited to losing hair. It is also not disease cast on us by witches like most people of God make their members believe.

Another lady who shared her story said, cancer is a sickness which requires mental strength to be able to fight it spiritually and physically. Also, one has to focus more on the positives and confess it every day rather than focusing on the negatives.  She, being a pastor’s wife, had no support from her husband despite the fact that he was the person she looked up to when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. However, along the line, he left her on her own to fight the sickness after she failed she to heed to his advice of she not seeking medical attention. She encouraged that since cancer patients are only left with the choice to fight, they so should be bold, fight and win, rather than let the disease kill them. All the points she raised were encouraging and motivating.

I was really impressed with how she fought through this without any family or friends; thankfully, Eric, the nurse, was by her side through it all. She added that the people aroung cancer patients who have mostly negative thoughts and opinions about cancer worsen the ordeal for patients, a submission I concur to..

 After her talk, Juliette presented a dummy check of 30,000 GH Cedis and breast prosthetics on behalf of “Pink for Africa”, with support of Johnsons & Johnsons to help with the medication of the breast cancer patients who cannot afford their medication.  The breast prosthetics were given out after forms were filled by the women who had had their surgery. Refreshments were given out as well.

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