AFUA (PINK FOR AFRICA)

PINK FOR AFRICA  SURVIVOR

Hello guys, the much anticipated wait is over! I'm very sure most of you have been wondering why I've been missing in action. I just decided to take a sabbatical leave and come back with more amazing contents. I'm sure most of you have been wondering what happened with Afua, the youngest girl PINK for Africa helped battle breast cancer. Wrote something on her in my last post last year and most people were eager to be updated and how well she's doing. Well, now is the time to update everyone on Afua! We thank God for his loving mercies and how good and gracious He has been!

Afua is a 25 year old northerner and hairdresser who came to Accra to seek greener pastures in the year 2015 as a breadwinner for her entire family of eleven including her parents and eight younger siblings . During her apprenticeship, she started experiencing pains in one of her breasts and during one of her regular body checks, she noticed that there was a very small lump in one of her breasts and what She used to do was massage the lump and as time went on, the lump started getting bigger. She became alarmed and went to the hospital to get it checked. She was told she had absolutely nothing to worry about because it was normal. As time went by, the lump became very big and divided her breasts into two. She went to the very same hospital where they made her go through a series of lab tests and had to undergo a lumpectomy( a surgery where the lump is taken out).When her results came out,  she was informed it was breast cancer. She was very shattered and devastated that at her age, she could experience such but most of us, if not all of us know  breast cancer is not a respecter of persons. There was actually nothing she could do than to depend on the Almighty God.

   Through the year 2015, it really wasn't an easy year for her; the frequent visits to the hospitals and the series of tests through 2016. She was later referred to Korle Bu where she was given a date to have another surgery and after that surgery she was going to have to go through chemotherapy and radiation. She admitted she was scared and it wasn't easy for her but because of her immense faith and the Lord she was able to go through it all successfully.

She went through the surgery after which she started with her chemotherapy and radiation.  According to her, the chemotherapy was a very difficult procedure  where she had to lose all the hair on her head through to her feet. She also felt like a walking zombie, having to experience nausea, fatigue, sore mouth, skin and nail colour changes. Gradually, she finished through with her chemotherapy and regained her lost hair as well as her normal skin colour. Everything went back to normal for her. she never gave up through it all and stood strong.  She also attested and was grateful to the fact that she had the entire support of her loved ones who backed her with their love and prayers which were what made her carry on and not give up. She was told she needed to go through radiation as well which she had to do for 6weeks which was also not an easy journey for her as well.

We should really be thankful to God if we are alive and in good health. Afua experiences breast cancer, lumpectomy went through chemotherapy, radiation as well as getting her life back on track in a period of 3 good years. From 2015-2018. Our little angel was told she needed to be put on a medication that is the tamoxifen for ten years. She wept very bitterly at this because according to what people were telling her, that meant she could never enjoy the gift of motherhood. She never despaired. She told herself if that's what  God really wanted for her, then so be it. Two months into taking the tamoxifen she started feeling sick and went to the hospital for a checkup. I'm sure we know and can testify to the fact that we serve a living God who never fails and makes a way where there seems to be no way. When the results came back, it said she was pregnant and was going to be a mother soon! That was a very bittersweet moment for our Afua. She was very confused then because she felt she was too young and was on medication so the pregnancy might interrupt with her treatment but happy she was going to enjoy motherhood. She decided to give thanks to the Almighty because his ways are definitely not our ways . She also didn't know whether she was going to survive it or not all the while everyone was also saying what they wanted. Some told her she would survive and the killjoys put the fear of her leaving her newborn into her because of the sickness. She felt even if she died and her baby survived it is a good thing but Lord who is a really merciful God saw her through antenatal and the entire 9months as she gave birth to a very beautiful baby girl who turned 1 in February.

Afua added that she's been in good health and has hardly experienced any pain post birth but she does experience fatigue from time to time which she overcomes after getting some rest and her daughter too hasn't been sick from birth or had any infections from the medications Afua had to take.
Is God not a wonderful God? She says they don't have any worries and always remember to give thanks to God every morning when they wake up for what He did and is doing for them.

She stated that she knows there are a lot of people out there crying and who have it worse off than her yet God still came through for her but it all boils down to FAITH. She believes everything that happens to us is God's will for our lives and if He brings you trials He will certainly take you through it. Her words of encouragement for anyone out there who are also suffering the same fate is that she was very young and didn't even dream and know that she was going to suffer such a fate, coming from a rural area in search of greener pastures; had no help and no one to look up to but through her faith and her obedience to the doctors who through that were able to help her in any way they could that she's still alive today. So to anyone out there who's suffering such a fate; people will talk and shun away from you but you need not despair. Afua had people whom she placed all her trust in shunning away from her and driving her away like a chicken. They told her all manner of things like she won't make it, she'd be ugly and that she's going to infect others. What she didn't know was if it was an infectious disease or not so she decided to go and ask her doctors who told her it wasn't an infectious disease before she felt at peace. She never listened to any of what they said. She realized they just didn't want her to carry through with her treatment. They told her that she should rather pray for her situation to become normal. She added that if she just prayed her way out and not sought for treatment she wouldn't be alive today.

Afua and her baby girl Juliette Florence Nyameye also wanted to say a very Big thank you to Pink For Africa who stood behind her every step of the way when they encountered her. Ranging from paying for her treatment, her medication, where she lives, money for her upkeep from time to time and even baby stuff for her daughter.  She didn't know them from anywhere but the Lord in heaven brought PINK for Africa to her as her helper especially Mrs. Juliette Mills-Lutterodt the founder of Pink For Africa who was the backbone for her the entire step of the way upon encountering her when she had no hope or anyone to look up to . She also acknowledged none of this would have been possible (going through her treatment successfully and having a baby girl) if not God and for Pink for Africa.  She admitted her daughter is her ray of hope and sunshine as well as her happiness.

In conclusion, she expressed thanks to everyone for taking time out to read this, and to anyone out there with the disease; do not be afraid, have faith and depend on the living God who has the final say in all things.  She stated that it isn't scary if you decide to get through it even though you might not go back to how you were before; physically; but you'll definitely be better looking than how you were depending on how you are and go through it.

I also would like to add that, in everything we decide to do, we shouldn't just rely on prayers  only without doing our part too for God helps those who help themselves.

Below are a few pictures of Afua