Dealing with cancer could be heartbreaking for the patient and loved ones…a time when so many “what ifs” come into play and sometimes regrets. However, many are the cases of those who overcame the disease and now share their story to encourage others.
This is the case of Martha G, a Cameroonian lady who was diagnosed with cancer and was later proclaimed cancer-free after undergoing treatment.
“Actually, I have been someone who has been very alert about cancer and every October, when people are talking about cancer screening, I usually go and do the screening for cervical and breast cancer but due to busy schedules, I stopped doing it,” begins Martha G.
The Genesis
“It was my husband who discovered that there was a lump in my breast. I did not take it serious. So when I got pregnant with my first child, I didn’t know it was cancer… I just went to my Gynecologist and consulted, and he told me it was something small and that since I was pregnant, he will leave it and see what to do when I give birth,” continues Martha.
With the assumption that the lump was due to the influence of hormones, Martha gave birth and the lump disappeared.
However, when she started breastfeeding the lump came back and she went back to her Gynecologist who gave her a rendezvous for when she stopped breastfeeding.
“I went in for the surgery and the lump was taken out. My Gynecologist requested I sent a sample for analysis, which I did, but didn’t get the results. I followed up severally without success,” complains Martha G.
After recovering from the surgery, Martha left Cameroon for a job in Congo. It was there that things took a different turn.
She started feeling some pain on the area where the surgery of the breast was done.
“I went to the hospital but there were no specialists there. Thankfully, the organisation where I work had a good health policy for staff who have health issues, where they send them out for special medical checkups. That is how I found myself in South Africa in November 2022. I did a biopsy and was diagnosed with breast cancer (Her2+ and Estrogen receptor positive and stage two breast cancer). They checked and found out that I had some lymph nodes that had been affected but thankfully the cancer was localized; it was only on the breast,” explains Martha.
Martha was devastated upon receiving such news.
“I was demoralized, shocked…. The doctors kept asking me if anyone in my family has a history of breast cancer and I said no. I didn’t know where this was coming from,” says Martha with tears in her eyes.
The Way Forward after the Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Martha G knew it was not time to only sit down and cry but time to also move on in faith.
“I got some counseling… and that’s where the journey started,” she remarks with renewed fire in her eyes.
After the diagnosis, Martha met an Oncologist in Johannesburg who told her about the treatment plan.
She expatiates, “It was very costly but thank God I had insurance that could cater for all of that… I was working in Congo and I had to go and receive treatment in South Africa, so it wasn’t easy.”
The Painful and Traumatising Treatment Phase
“Chemotherapy… I had to do it every three weeks. I had to loose all my hair and then I was counselled about freezing my eggs and I was equally informed on the different treatment options: either to do mastectomy which is to cut off the breast totally, or to do breast conservation surgery which means they have to incise the area and take out just the small part, then I have to go through chemotherapy to shrink the lump,” Martha recounts.
Every three weeks, Martha had to leave Congo for South Africa and at some point, her insurance said the treatment was very costly as added to flights, she had to lodge in hotels. They therefore suggested that she switches the treatment from South Africa to Kigali in Rwanda, where the treatment was less expensive.
So, she had the first three chemotherapy sessions in South Africa and then the remaining five in Rwanda.
After the first chemotherapy, Martha lost all her hair. “That was the most traumatising part. I cried out; I became like some monster or something. I lost my menstrual periods too.”
“After the chemotherapy sessions, I was scheduled for surgery. I did the surgery and the lymph nodes were taken out as well the lump which had really shrunk. The Oncologist in Kigali said I was really responding to the chemotherapy. After these, I also did 25 sessions of radiation therapy,” she adds.
The radiant mother goes on to acknowledge the work of the multi-disciplinary team working on her, “I had an Oncologist working with a Gynecologist, Surgeon, General Practitioner and a Psychologist. They usually had meetings every week during which they discussed my progress with the Psychologist counseling and encouraging me throughout my treatment.”
Unshaken Faith in God
“I’m not sure I’ve ever prayed the way I prayed from November 2022 throughout 2023 as I went through the treatment. It wasn’t easy, but I knew that God had his hand in it because even though I had challenges with insurance and other challenges at some point, God was the person I put all my trust in and he made everything possible. From me getting a visa from Congo to South Africa, there were so many divine interventions and I saw God’s hand in most of the things that were happening,” the Catholic Christian insists.
Support System, Vital in Overcoming Health and Other Challenges
“My family was always there for me, though they were far away, they did everything possible to support me. My husband, child and all my family were always there for me,” Martha says with a broad smile.
She also appreciated her boss who was very understanding and particular about her health condition, permitting her not to go to the field because when undergoing chemotherapy, the patient gets immunosuppressed and can easily pick any infection.
Martha adds, “While I was in Kigali, I also had a support group put up for those of us who were receiving chemotherapy. We had a whatsapp group where we chat and encourage one another.”
A Joyful Pink October 2023!
After all of the treatment, Martha G was declared cancer-free in October 2023!
Since then, she says she has done her scans and everything is okay.
Miracles Galore for Martha after Breast Cancer Treatment
After the cancer treatment, something miraculous happened to Martha G!
“I was told during the cancer treatment that all my ovaries had been destroyed so I knew there was nothing called a pregnancy, ever possible for me. My period returned once after the treatment in December 2023 and in January, it never came. Neither did it come in February nor March. I didn’t even suspect it was pregnancy since I was told it is only after five years that I could ever get pregnant,” she recalls.
Martha later discovered she was five months pregnant!
“I called my oncologist who advised that I terminate the pregnancy because I was on hormone therapy. There’s this drug I need to take for about five years to regulate my hormones, to prevent the reoccurrence of the cancer. He said these drugs could cause congenital malformation to the baby,” continues Martha G.
Determined, she went on to do an echography and scans and evertything seemed okay with the foetus so she decided to keep the pregnancy.
“That’s how I gave birth to my second bouncing baby this 2024!” she says with much excitement.
When she had her baby, she shared the information with her support group in Kigali and they were so happy and prayed together though in separate countries.
Advice to Women and Men on Cancer
“Cancer is real. I went through it. I am a survivor. It wasn’t by my might but by the grace of God that I survived and I am still alive. Throughout my treatment, there were many girls whom I saw that died due to cancer and I was looking at my child and wondering, ‘God, if I die, who is going to take care of my child ?’ Even right now, I am still scared whenever I go to do the scans. I am worried hoping the cancer will not return,” confides Martha.
“Ladies, do your screening, and if you are positive, start taking your treatment. Pray to God and lead a healthy lifestyle. Since I was placed on cancer treatment, I regulate what I eat. I avoid lots of sugar and things that I know are going to promote the growth of cancer. Breast cancer is real but it is something that is curable especially with the advancement in technology. People should no longer die of breast cancer,” remarks Martha G.
“I know there are some ladies here in Cameroon who have gone through cancer but cannot share their experiences due to issues related to witchcraft. I encourage all of them to trust God and seek treatment. Hope my story helps to encourage a lady out there,” concludes Martha G.
As women and men join efforts to celebrate Pink October as a means to sensitise on breast and cervical cancer, stories like Martha G’s are sure to bring more hope even where the future may seem bleak for those suffering from cancer or attending to cancer patients.
**Martha G is an imaginary name. Real names withheld for confidenctial reasons.
Compiled by Eleanor Ayuketah Ngochi
