Show you care....be aware
In the
month of October and when you hear the word pink the first thing that pops into
your head is…or should be…breast cancer!
Unfortunately,
not everybody knows about it and those who do, like you tend to think it’s a
disease of the developed world. Here’s a reality check people: according to WHO Global
Burden of Disease (2004) ‘a majority (69%) of all breast cancer deaths occurs
in developing countries’. Right now breast cancer is at your door step and if you
don’t take the time to know about it you could be the next person adding to the
statistics.
Speaking
of knowing about it, let’s look at some key things:
What is breast cancer?
It’s
basically an abnormal, uncontrolled growth of cells in your breast tissue. The
growth results in a lump in your breast which keeps increasing in size and if
left unchecked some of the cells detach from the lump and spread to other parts
of the body.
Who does it affect?
Mainly women
It’s
the top cancer in women worldwide however there are some rare cases where men
also get the disease.
On
this note, let me shift to the guys for a bit…this also includes you…in terms
of getting the disease as well as being affected if your girlfriend or wife has
it. You need to encourage your woman to do regular breast self-examinations and
go for screenings. It may shock you when I say that some women owe their lives
to their men who discovered their breast lumps for them but it is true. Be part
of her support system; show her you care and be aware!
What are some of the risk factors?
- Being female
- Having someone in your
family who’s had the disease
- Risk increases with
increase in age after 50 (unfortunately, more and more younger women are
getting the disease)
- Increased exposure to
hormones eg use of Oral Contraceptives
Why is there a high mortality rate?
2 words-
Late diagnosis
Late diagnosis has been the main reason for a high
mortality here in Kenya with an estimation that 80 to 90 per cent of breast
cancer patients go for consultations when they are in stage 3 and stage 4 of
the disease (final stages of the disease).
Now
here is the crazy thing….if you did regular self breast examinations, you will
definitely be able to detect the cancer in its earlier stages. Any abnormal
change should make you go to the doctor as soon as possible; if it is cancer
the fact that you caught it early gives you a better fighting chance against it.
Don’t
believe me, then I’ll let WHO (World Health
Organization) say
it:
‘...Breast cancer is the top cancer in
women worldwide and is increasing particularly in developing countries where the majority of cases are diagnosed in late
stages...’
‘...EARLY DETECTION in order to improve
breast cancer outcome and survival remains the CORNERSTONE of breast cancer control...’
(WHO
Breast Cancer and Control)
The
Pink Move aims to spread this message; hence imparting to women the knowledge
and power to be more breast aware and therefore, seek early consultation and
improve their health outcomes.
How
are we doing this?
- Training
Medical students, Rotary and
Rotaract Club members will be taught about breast cancer, breast awareness, and
how to share that information with other students as well as the general
public.
- Open meetings
These will be organised for
university students and the general public at which the trained medical
students, Rotarians and Rotaractors will share information on breast cancer and
teach breast awareness skills.
- Media
This includes radio, print
and social media. Using what we can to get the information out there. In fact
this newsletter your reading is part of the print media; if you don’t already
know we have a Facebook page called The Pink Move and you can follow us on
twitter @ThePinkMove for more information on breast cancer as well as what
we’ve been up to.
This
is what we as the Medical Students Association of Kenya (MSAKE) and the
Rotaract Club of Nairobi North are doing…working together in a collaborative
effort to empower women with the knowledge they need to protect themselves.
So, come
support us and help save the people in your community.
By Olympia Tombe
Assistant Project Co-ordinator for The Pink Move,
Club Services Director (Rotaract Club of Nairobi North)
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