Fungating Breast Cancer. Lucy’s Story

Summary: Breast cancer in Sub-Saharan is rarely diagnosed until late stages, sometimes when nothing else can be done. Cancer Free Women reaches out to educate women in remote areas of developing countries through churches and local seminars. Breast cancer patients are often neglected and abandoned in hospitals and left to die with no one by their side. Supporting our mission could help one life like the one you are just about to read

Meet Lucy:

Lucy Ncororo, 40 years old with breast cancer, was a patient admitted at the Meru District Hospital in Kenya for six months. No family or friend ever came to see Lucy since she was admitted. Lucy was admitted at Meru Hospice on 18th August 2002 after general hospital concluded her fungating breast cancer was terminal. In hospice, Lucy got a chance to narrate her ordeal. There are thousand such stories in Kenya…read on and share.

She had been married for about 10 years but divorced because she could not bear children. After the divorce, Lucy moved to live in a rented house where she met a man and they became lovers. This didn’t last for long as the man was already married with three children (as she later discovered).

Breast cancer knocked Lucy’s door midst her already complicated life. When Lucy started ailing, her temporary lover advised her to go back home, which she did. Her parents and siblings took her to Meru General District hospital. This was the last time she ever saw or heard from her family. She was abandoned. Lucy lost contact with her temporary lover who evidently only needed her for the good times and not during fight against breast cancer. In many African cultures, breast cancer is seen as punishment from gods for being unfaithful to the husband.

Lucy was divorced by her 10 year husband because she could not bear children but during her admission, she was not aware that she was six months pregnant with her new lover’s child. She was shocked to learn of it later as she counted her last days in this world. On 21st May 2003, God blessed Lucy with a bouncing baby boy by the name Moses Ntungai (means Man of God). Lucy felt that the coming of Moses during the hardest times of her life was a show of God’s mercy and a gift to her since she had longed to carry a baby for many years.

fungating breast massThe happiness of finally having a son was short-lived. Lucy’s fungating breast mass was growing bigger and bigger by the day. Her pain and suffering was becoming more and more intolerable. The mass became infected and need surgery though her health condition could not have allowed it. She could not have survived a surgery, if there was one available. Lucy was abandoned by her friends, family and lovers to die in the hospital. Meru Hospice was her new home. Doctors could not operate on her. Knowledge and resources were not there.
Meru hospice staff found that she and her baby had no clothes at all. She had no energy to feed her very young baby boy who laid beside her completely oblivious of what was going on. Meru General Hospital staff tried their best to ensure that they were comfortable but with little success due to lack of financial resources and personnel. Meru Hospice decided to shoulder her burden free of charge and provide her with whatever she needed. Her pain continued to become too excruciating as she fought hard away from death that was imminent. She needed high doses of morphine and other drugs, wound dressing material for the wound and clothes. The hospice bought clothes and toys for her ever-smiling baby.

Lucy’s health was deteriorating as days went by. With the help of hospice staff, Lucy was emotionally and spiritually in terms with her condition and what lied ahead. Lucy, despite all what’s surrounded her had a reason to reason to smile.
MosesBaby Moses at 5 months old and was doing really well; he was looking bright and healthy. But it was becoming progressively difficult for Lucy to take care of him. No relative ever came to visit her. She is abandoned to die alone. She depends on relatives of neighboring patients to assist her wash her clothes, change and feed her baby.
Meru Hospice took a further step and asked her if she wanted her son to be adopted. Lucy welcomed the idea with great relief since she had been thinking a lot about it. Moses now has a new home.

Another thorny issue was the question of her burial. Lucy’s relatives were certainly not going to come and bury her if they had not come to see her during her fight with fungating breast cancer. They probably feared being left with the responsibility of taking care of baby Moses. Usually, abandoned patients who die at the District hospitals are buried in mass graves. Lucy asked the hospice not to allow this to happen to her. The hospice made arrangements to oversee her burial and gave her the dignity she deserved.
Rest in Peace Lucy.

Help fight breast cancer in Africa

moses adapted

Lucy’s son finally got adopted. For more information about Lucy’s Son Noses, contact us if you would like to reach out and help

Help Fight Breast cancer

Story adapted from Here

Fungating Breast Cancer

Summary:

fungating Breast Cancer

A middle aged woman in Kenya with fungating stage 4 breast cancer.

Breast cancer mortality in Kenya and most of sub-Saharan Africa is about 75% compared to 10% in developed countries according to World Health Organization (WHO). Majority of women in Kenya do not know anything about breast cancer and those who do, they have no means of getting screened. There is acute shortage of healthcare professionals to take care of breast cancer cases. The country of 43 million has a total of 10 mammogram machines as of 2012 according to report published by ministry of health – Kenya. There are only 4 oncologists in Kenya and total of 7 in East Africa.

Introduction:

Meet Janet a breast cancer victim in Kenya. For the purposes of privacy, we’ll call her Janet from Nairobi, Kenya. Janet presented to the hospital with a stage 4 breast cancer. The problem started few years back but she thought it was mastitis and would go away. Janet visited local clinic where she got antibiotics but the problem never resolved.  On seeking second opinion from a different clinic, she was referred to a referral hospital miles away where she was diagnosed with Stage 4 fungating breast cancer.

Diagnosis:

Janet breast cancer diagnosis came 2 years too late from when she noted her first signs and symptoms. Janet did try to get medical help but it is obvious that the medical personnel Janet went to was under-informed about breast cancer. Janet recalls giving her signs and symptoms as:-

  • Inverted nipple
  •  Pain
  • Swollen armpit glands
  • Bloody discharge
  • Discoloration
  • Weight loss

Despite the fact that Janet went to seek medical help after the signs and symptoms were obvious, her prognosis was worsened by the fact that the clinician or the nurse that saw her in a field clinic misdiagnosed her.

On referral to a bigger hospital, a mammogram was not necessary as the cancer had grown to a point of penetrating the skin to form what is called “Fungating” breast cancer. Simple histological biopsies revealed that Janet had a metastatic breast cancer. A CT-Scan revealed involvement of the lungs and the liver. She remains admitted in a hospital waiting for treatment.

 

Treatment:

Obviously, Janet needs surgery to remove the fungating breast cancer mass. She needs chemotherapy and radiation therapy to increase her chances of survival. Janet requires high calorie nutrition, something she cannot afford, let alone other treatment. Janet is a Mom and a bread winner for her family. She requires support for her family financially, spiritually and emotionally.

None of the treatments have been started because there is no money to fund her treatment. Her fate depends on good Samaritans that may come through for her and giver a second chance to live.

 

Prognosis:

The longer Janet waits for treatment, the poorer her prognosis gets. While stage 4 breast cancers has poor prognosis in developing countries, Janet still stands a chance to see another day. Tens of thousands women like Janet are in similar situation in Kenya alone. Millions more women across Sub-Saharan Africa are suffering like Janet.

How you can help:

Janet breast cancer may have happened for a reason. Reading this article may have happened for a reason.  For those who are Christians, Roman 8:28 says, “all things happen together for good for those who trust God”. Janet needs help. Besides Janet, hundreds of thousands of women can benefit from a simple mammogram.

Learn how you can help

Breast Cancer Photos.

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How Kenyan Women Can Stay Ahead of Breast Cancer

  1. Women with a family history of breast cancer can lower their risk by breastfeeding their babies according to the Archives of Internal Medicine. In their study, it was revealed that Women with a family history of breast cancer were 59% less likely to develop pre-menopausal breast cancer if they had ever breastfed. In the past, majority of Kenyan women breastfed their kids but industrialization and urban life is decreasing the breastfeeding. This may have contributed in the current increase in breast cancer incidences in Kenya.
  2. Reducing dietary fat may reduce the risk of breast cancer according to the Women’s Intervention Nutrition Study in America. In the wake of economic growth and urbanization in Kenya, fatty foods intake like KFC chicken and red meats is on the rise. Our traditional low-fat high fibre foods like beans and vegetables offers the best breast cancer protection.
  3. The link between obesity and breast cancer have been very clear for many decades. Obese women are at higher risk of breast cancer than lean women. Eating small food portions of well-balanced diet low in fat and red meats is a good way to protect yourself from breast cancer.
  4. Mammography is the best way to detect breast cancer in its earliest, most treatable stage. If it’s time to schedule your mammogram, make the appointment now. Most Kenyan women over age 50 has never had a mammogram according to a simple questionnaire conducted my Cancer Free Women in two local churches in Nairobi. Over 70% did not even know what a mammogram is. Among the 200 participants, 21% has had a close family member dies of breast cancer. Cancer Free Women has created a platform/website where you can sponsor a family, friend or a random person to get a free Mammogram in Kenya.
  5. Avoid Excess alcohol intake and smoking.

Free Breast Cancer Screening in Kenya

Free Breast Cancer Screening in Kenya

Every year on October, the world join hands for a whole month to fight breast cancer through breast cancer awareness month. Third world countries like Kenya have been observing breast cancer month and a number of non-governmental organizations (NGO) have started offering free breast cancer screening and awareness. The breast cancer awareness month campaign originated in the United States in 1985 through a partnership between American Cancer Society and AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical Company.

Cancer Free Women® is planning to offer free breast cancer screening to thousands of Kenyans every year during breast cancer awareness month.  Our goal is to educate thousands of women how to do Self Breast Exams (BSE) and how to detect early signs of abnormal breast changes.

We encourage as many women to participate in this event as possible. All updates regarding the venues and schedules will be posted on our website momentarily.

We would also like to solicit corporate, private and religious donors to help us make breast cancer awareness campaigns possible. We hope to be holding free screening campaigns every month across Kenya and East Africa.

May God help us and may your prayers be answered.

Understanding Mammograms

A mammogram is an x-ray picture of the breast.

Mammograms are designed to check for very early signs of breast cancer in women before the symptoms can be experienced. Mammograms are better when used to check for breast cancer in women who have no signs or symptoms of the disease. This type of mammogram is called a screening or preventive mammogram. Screening mammograms usually involve two mammogram pictures, or images, of each breast. These images are carefully read by a radiologist to detect tumors that cannot be felt by Self Breast Exam. Screening mammograms can also find microcalcifications (tiny deposits of calcium) that sometimes indicate the presence of breast cancer.

MammogramDiagnostic Mammograms are used to check for breast cancer after a lump or other sign or symptom of the disease has been found. Unfortunately, at this point, the mammogram is only used to confirm the diagnosis. This is the commonest mammogram ordered by physicians in Kenya and the rest of Africa.

Besides a lump or breast disfigurement, signs of breast cancer can include breast pain, thickening of the skin of the breast, nipple discharge, or a change in breast size, shape or colour. Only a mammogram or breast ultrasound can determine if this is breast cancer or not. A diagnostic mammogram can also be used to evaluate changes found during a screening mammogram.

The difference between screening and diagnostic mammogram is that diagnostic mammography takes longer than screening mammography because more x-rays are needed to obtain views of the breast from several angles. The radiologist or radiographer may magnify a suspicious area to produce a detailed picture that can help make an accurate diagnosis.

Screening mammograms helps in early detection of breast cancer, which means that treatment can be started earlier in the course of the disease, possibly before it has spread to other parts of the body. Screening mammography can help reduce the number of deaths from breast cancer by 30-40% among women ages 40 to 70. Unless family history of breast cancer exists, breast mammograms are only recommended after age 40.

If you have any questions about your breast health condition, call us now. Let us help you clear the doubts that you may have. We have nurse educators and clinicians ready to help you with the answers you need to stay safe from breast cancer