October is breast cancer awareness month and I will like to tell a story about when I found a lump in my breast.

I’ve never been a sickly child. Never hospitalized or been ill for more than a week (except when I had chicken pox, ewwww), so imagine my horror and disbelief when my breast examination revealed a lump.

You see, I was just 18 years old but two years before then, my grandma passed away from breast cancer. She was the sweetest human and I couldn’t believe someone so close to me could have cancer.

I’m from Nigeria, so not only is the health sector in shambles, most citizens can’t afford healthcare so we all just wish all our diseases away or take herbal concoctions.

She was in constant pain but she absolutely refused to see a doctor. “We can’t afford it. I’ll be fine in a few day, I just need to take my ‘medicine’. My pastor said…” till it got worse. She eventually acquiesced but it was too late. She died the night before her mastectomy.

So I knew all about cancer. At least I thought I did.

So one night, I was absentmindedly performing a breast examination when I felt a bump/lump. I was shocked. I waited a few days then told my mum. With mechanical efficiency, she scheduled an appointment with the family doctor. It was harder explaining to my dad because he doesn’t know how to deal with ermmmm crisis. Lol. He was hysterical and my mum had to calm him down.

I didn’t even know how to act. I guess I was numb at first. My mum and I went to the hospital together and she just held me. We didn’t talk while we were waiting for the doctor. We just held each other. Numb.

The doctor called us in then asked me what was wrong. That was when I broke down because it suddenly seemed more real. I was here. This was happening. To me. I tearily told him everything.

I climbed onto his examination bed, undressed ..

Full Story: https://akukom.com/lump-in-my-breasts/

Source: www.akukom.com
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