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By Vincent Kalu
The hall of Patgelina Event Centre, Ebute Metta, Lagos, was full to its capacity despite the heavy rain.
The guests, mostly Anambra women in Lagos, came to bear testimony to the unflagging zeal of the Anambra State Association, Women in USA, Inc. (ASA Women USA), for their fight against breast cancer.
The association had chosen that day and venue to honour and empower eight breast cancer survivors; women who were snatched from the jaws of death. Each of these women was given the sum of one million.
In her address, the President and Founder of the group, Dr Anthonia Uche Umeh, said the event was to honour the cancer survivors for their strength, tenacity, triumphs, and courage in breaking the barriers of silence.
She pointed out that the Nigerian National Cancer Registry indicates that the fiver-year survival rate for women with breast cancer in Nigeria is significantly low, estimated at approximately 25 to 40 per cent, depending on the region and state of diagnosis. In contrast, she emphasised that the five-year relative survival rate for women with breast cancer in the United States is approximately 90 – 91 per cent, noting that, while Nigeria has a lower incidence of breast and cervical cancer, it faces higher mortality rates due to late-stage diagnosis and limited access.
ASA Women USA, she said is a registered 501 (c) (3) non-profit organisation dedicated to raising awareness and implementing programmes that address health and educational issues affecting women, children, youth, and physically challenged persons in Anambra State.
According to her, since the inception in 2011, the association has dedicated eight years to cancer and maternal health medical missions, delivering medical and surgical services to over 30,000 individuals in Anambra State.
The group, she pointed out, has enhanced healthcare infrastructure by donating diagnostic equipment to state hospitals and alleviated burdens by paying hospital bills.
“The organisation has made significant strides in supporting over 150 breast and cervical cancer patients through the Anambra State Health Insurance Scheme since 2021, providing financial grants for cancer treatments. We have hosted impactful fundraising events, including pink dinners and a 5K Walk for Hope in both the US and Nigeria, all aimed at combating cancer.
“Our collaborations with the Global Giving Foundation and donations to cancer in Washington DC highlight our commitment to cancer care,” Dr Umeh stated.
She told the audience that the association has acquired land in Anambra in partnership with the Catholic Diocese of Nnewi to establish the Hope Cancer Centre.
“Looking ahead, establishing the Hope Cancer Centre in Anambra State, in partnership with the Catholic Diocese of Nnewi, is a key goal, with land already acquired. We are also partnering with Cancer Haven, an independent contractor.
“Partnerships and sponsorships are vital for this endeavour, as they will help financially support women and children diagnosed with cancer. ASA Women USA, Inc. is dedicated to strengthening the healthcare of the indigent and children with cancer and other concerns in Anambra State, Nigeria, one person at a time,” she further stated.
Chairman of the event, and the President, Anambra State Development Unions (AASSDU), Chief Amaechi Ebeledike, described the host, Dr Anthonia Umeh, as an outstanding woman, with a great passion to serve humanity.
“We have realised that for about 15 years, these quintessential ladies have lifted the Anambra spirit of care and love to an unimaginable proportion – touching lives for good, to overcome very critical health challenges. Today’s event is another testament to the core values of these women of valour.”
The keynote speaker, Director, University of Nigeria Centre of Excellence for Clinical Trials (UNNCECT), Emeritus Prof. Ifeoma Okoye, said Dr Anthonia Umeh with her team deserves honour for quenching the raging fire and changing the narrative of breast cancer in Nigeria.
According to her, 14,700 Nigerian women die of breast cancer every year.
She encouraged the survivors to be strong and not to be dispirited, assuring them that their being alive is a great comfort for everyone.
She said cancer becomes a death sentence if it’s not detected early. She also noted the rising cases of prostate cancer, especially in the South East.
According to her, Igbo men are totally unaware of the prostate cancer scourge. She said because women are in the forefront of talking about cervical and breast cancers, the men think it’s only for women, and so, are not paying attention.
She noted that this event organised by the ASA Women USA Cancer Coalition was a reminder of the life-threatening disease.
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“When foreign organisations, like this ASA women, decided to look back home with empathy, strategic clarity and determination to act, mountains actually move.
“Dr. Umeh and her team have been moving mountains. I can’t count how many times I’ve joined her in one campaign or the other at Nnewi, Awka etc., and each time, they are mediating in treatment, mediating in paying hospital bills. This is countless, and they deserve all the support.
“So, I commend ASA women for their unwavering commitment to rewriting the narrative of breast cancer in Nigeria, to reduce the number of clinical cases.
“Today, we are not merely gathered to share stories, we’re here to mark the journeys of these celebrities here. We are here to talk about inspiring journeys through breast cancer, as we celebrate the courage of those who have dared the disease in the face. With courage, we must also, with radical candour, look at the road they travelled, and the thousands who got lost along on that same road, because cancer diagnosis seems to be synonymous with death sentence.”
About the core crisis, she said she has been to so many conferences abroad where reasons for the high mortality and morbidity of statistics for cancer in the different countries are debated.
“Number one will be late detection, number two will be late detection and number three will be late detection. It is so bad in Nigeria.
“As a radiologist and researcher who has spent decades studying this disease, I often refer to cancer and its underlying biological pathways as silent fire. In Nigeria and across the sub-Saharan African landscape, the biological fire of cancer is amplified by a social and structural fire. It is a quiet, aggressive entity that grows steadily, but you can prevent the disease before it takes hold of you. The grin reality is that cancer has become a monumental public health challenge across the nation despite multiple improvements in public awareness.
“We need to change our behaviour; we need to go to the hospital at the right time so that we leap against this late detection.
“When we look at our communities, across the South East geopolitical zone, we see a landscape where cancer is still shrouded in intense fear.”
A motivational speaker, Dr Ifeyinwa Nwakwesi, while praising the host, she harped on the importance of dieting in living a healthy life.
She recalled how she suffered depression, panic attacks, and severe indigestion for six years, and it seemed as her life was wired for negativity.
“You know, life comes with ups and downs. Cancer of the breast is just one of those ups and downs of life. There are different cancer diseases.
“So many people die from accidents, so we need to prepare for the battles of life. You can’t let anything steal your joy, even though it’s not easy.
“Everybody was telling me to go for check-up, but I insisted that God made me, and my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and there cannot be any cancer there.
“So, you need to speak to yourself. Do not allow negative messages inside of you to influence you; oh, I have a cancer of the breast, so I would die. Reject it; what’s important is what you are telling yourself, it is so powerful and if you know the relationship between the spirit and the mind.
“I was 73 on May 28, I would have died before, but these days, when people see me, they say, ah, where do you get your energy from? It is this bold mindset and a good lifetime I live,” Nwakwesi said.
According to her, “Hippocrates, the father of medicine, said, let food be your medicine, and let medicine be your food. Look around us there are so many vegetables, and so many greens that we can be blending and drinking.
“There’s a woman I wanted to bring here today. She had cancer of the breast, and she started juicing and was healed. Please, I’m not telling you to depend mostly on juicing. It’s important you go to your medical doctors for assessments so that you know exactly where you are.
“Do not let cancer of the breast steal your life or steal your joy. Whatever it is, the more determined you are, the more faith and positive attitude you’re going to have in survival.”
The highlight of the event was the presentation of one million naira grants to the eight cancer survivors – Ebere Blessing Machi (Ifite-Ogwari, Ayamelum LGA); Kate Egwuonwu (Amichi, Nnewi South LGA); Uju Nwuwa (Utu, Nnewi South LGA); Uchenna Okonkwo (Ukpor, Nnewi South LGA); Ngozika Nwoye (Abacha, Idemili North LGA); Sandra Okoh (Awgbu, Orumba North); Esther Ogochi Uche ( Amaizu Town, Afikpo North LGA, Ebonyi State), and Nkechi Eucharia Ogbochikwe (Oraukwu, Idemili North.)
Emotions ran high as they recounted their experiences battling with cancer, undergoing chemotherapy and radiography, which they described as nightmarish.
According to them, cancer is a money guzzling disease, as one continues spending on medication and dieting. They showered encomiums on Dr. Anthonia Uche Umeh for God using her to come to their succour, when they thought all hope was lost.
