Trauma of living with ugly scars of cancer

Breast cancer awareness, which is marked in October every year, aims to sensitise the public about the disease and its severe impact on society.

The campaign that began on October 1 is also meant to raise funds for research, treatment, prevention and cure.

Susan Mwangi, 60, had a mastectomy in 2004 after being diagnosed with cancer. For a long time, she could not afford a prosthesis and stuffed her bra with clothe materials.

Ms Mwangi keeps fidgeting with her black T-shirt, occasionally slipping her hand in to adjust the bra. She quickly stops, embarrassed, when she notices someone watching.

“It is irritating. I have to keep adjusting my bra. I know people can notice my breasts are not the same size,” she said.

The left side of her chest has only an ugly scar. After her operation, she could not afford an artificial breast as it was too expensive. Instead, she has had to improvise. She hates having to stuff handkerchiefs and tissue paper in her bra.

“If you touch, you will notice there is nothing. It is irritating that I have to frequently adjust my bra, otherwise the stuffing will fall out,” she said.

She would never leave her house in Ruiru without the stuffing.

She recalled how one day she noticed a lump as she looked in the mirror. There was no pain, she said.

So she went to a doctor who gave her drugs to treat what he said was an infection, but she did not improve.

“I noticed my breast appeared stretched, my nipple facing up. I remember it was a Friday when tests were done and the operation took place on Monday. By Wednesday I was discharged to go home,” she said.

After the wound healed several weeks later, she bought an artificial breast for Sh3,000.

“After some months, it was worn out and flabby. I did not have money to buy another one. I had already spent a lot on chemotherapy and radiotherapy after the surgery,” she said.

She has been using the rags for 14 years.

It is only recently that Mwangi came across a cancer support group that taught her how to make simple artificial breasts that are much cheaper. All she needed was thread and some cotton wool.

The organisation, Limau Cancer Connection, provided the raw materials for free. Mwangi learned how to weave and now she can make as many 'breasts' as she wants.

“The biggest challenge with getting an artificial breast is the right size. But if you weave it yourself, you know your own size so it is not that hard to get the right measurements,” said Mwangi.

She added: “Many people do not realise this, but not having one breast interferes with your balance. Even when you bend to do house chores, you feel like you are falling.”

According to the organisation’s founder, Nancy Githoitho, she was motivated to start the programme after her mother died from breast cancer in June 26, 2016, just a month after diagnosis.

She said she believed that what killed her and many other women was not the cancer per se, but stigma, as they had to live with noticeable scars, diminishing their sense of womanhood.

“Especially in the slums where poverty rules, stigma is at its worst. They have no money for diagnosis and treatment. If they survive, they have no support or counselling on how to deal with the scars.”