3 of my family members were diagnosed with cancer

I am the founder of Cancer Awareness and Support, a community based organisation located in Muhoroni, Kisumu County.

I registered this organisation because anything cancer-related has a soft spot in my heart after my husband, daughter and I survived this terminal illness. Saying that my family has been to hell and back is an understatement. No word can describe what we have gone through after cancer invaded our home.

It has been a physically, socially, financially and psychologically draining experience. My treatment cost Sh1.8 million, my husband’s cost Sh1.5 million and we spent Sh3 million on our daughter.

This nightmare began with me in 2010 when my husband James and I were in Mombasa. I noticed a lump in my left breast and although it was not painful, I was concerned and went to see a doctor. I was given antibiotics to take for two weeks and when the lump did not clear, I was sent to do an ultrasound.

I was then advised to go for a mammogram and biopsy tests to ascertain if the swelling was malignant.

That is when I received the saddest news of my life - the swelling was cancerous. To add insult to injury, the doctor attending to me was very unfeeling and his only answer when we asked for the way forward was that I should ‘chop off’ my breast. He believed cancer was a definite killer and felt I could not live for very long since I was already on stage four of the disease.

The surgery alone, exclusive of other things, was going to cost us Sh700,000.

As you can imagine, these news hit us hard but my faith in God kept me firm in my belief that I could beat this disease. After all, my four children and three grandchildren still needed me.

It was not easy breaking the news to my children and when we finally did, as a family we felt it was best to seek treatment in India. We sold some of our assets to raise Sh1.8 million for my treatment and two weeks later we were on our way to India.

Once there, we got a lovely doctor who assured me that cancer can be treated. I went through six chemotherapy sessions. I did a scan which gave results that the cancer nodes were 10 and nine of them were closed in a ball. They did not spread anywhere. The organs were alright. I stayed in India for three months.

After surgery, I went through five radiotherapy sessions and was declared cancer free.

We came back home and all was well until two years later when my husband’s leg started swelling. We did not think much of it until one day he collapsed and we had to rush him to hospital. After staying in the intensive care unit and undergoing several tests, no disease was found.

Once again as a family we felt the way forward was to seek treatment in India. We made necessary arrangements and left the country. Once in India, my husband was diagnosed with ...cancer. He went through chemotherapy every week for six months until he was declared cancer free.

We came back home and the cloud had barely settled before we got to learn that our daughter had been diagnosed with stage two breast cancer.

When I received these news, my heart was shattered and I was emotionally devastated. I knew what lay ahead for her, in terms of treatment, and was greatly concerned because she has a small child to take care of.

Once again, we left for India where we ended up staying for nine months.

My daughter went through six cycles of chemo and she was adversely affected especially on her third cycle. Her pressure went down, she could neither eat nor talk.

The doctors got worried and it appeared like they were preparing us for the worst. Fearing that she would not make it, we flew her son to India and his presence gave her a new lease of life - she started responding to treatment.

When she was strong enough, she underwent surgery and finished five radiotherapy sessions.

When I was in India, I started a support group for Africans seeking treatment there. When I came back home, I continued with this work. I want to encourage people and let them know that cancer is not a death-knell. Fear is what’s killing our people.