You can beat cancer; I did it two times

Nothing about Margaret Wanjiru betrays the health battles she has fought in her life, much less with breast cancer. She has struggled with and defeated the cancer of the breast not once, but twice.

At her home in Ting’ang’a, Kiambu County, this 69-year-old grandmother, who lives alone , does everything by herself — from household chores to tending to her small farm behind her house. Compared to many people her age, Margaret seems to be doing well. She also volunteers counselling services at a local support group for cancer patients.

Margaret was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993, then aged 40. She had visited the hospital to have a tooth extracted when she mentioned to the dentist about a stubborn, painless lump that was developing in her left armpit.

“I had noticed this lump while bathing. I was not sure what it was, but I suspected what it might be. This is why I had to take action,’’ she narrates.

Luckily for Margaret , she had participated in a lifestyle training from a Catholic Church group where she had learnt about self-breast cancer examination.

Suspecting what the lump might be, the dentist introduced her to a clinical officer at Kiambu Level Five Hospital, then called Kiambu District Hospital. She recounts: “The clinical officer took me to the doctor who did a biopsy. He advised me to take the sample to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).”

A week later, results came back from KNH, confirming her worst fears — she was positive for breast cancer. “I was devastated. In those years, cancer was rare. It carried as much stigma as HIV/Aids.’’

But worse was to come. A mastectomy was recommended when she took the results back to Kiambu District Hospital. 

“I was young and the thought of a life with one breast was just too much to bear. It took some time and extensive counselling to accept my fate,” she explains.

One more challenge stood in the way. At that time, the hospital did not have a breast surgeon. The surgery had to happen elsewhere. She settled for Nazareth Hospital in the county, where she was counselled by a foreigner doctor to help her lead ‘‘a fulfilling life after the procedure.” It is this doctor who was to conduct the mastectomy and, thereafter, the chemotherapy.

In April 1993, Margaret  underwent the removal procedure and was thereafter admitted in the hospital for a week before being discharged. After her wound had healed, she began her six sessions of chemotherapy in June that year. “The chemo treatment would take place after every three weeks. It went on for six months.” 

This allowed her to return to work three months into her treatment. “I was operating a food kiosk at the time. I could go to chemo then after three days go back to work. I needed to keep the shop running for my family’s survival.’’ 

She has one daughter who was preparing to sit Form Four exams. “I remember we used to lock ourselves in the house and cry and pray.”

Good tidings, though, were on the way. As soon as her chemo sessions were over,  Margaret  was declared cancer-free after a series of tests. But even with the remission, she  kept going for check-ups once a year.

After the scare of the disease, her lifestyle was completely transformed. “I started taking care of myself more than before. I did away with my old unhealthy habits and friends. I started building friendships with other women who were going through the aftermath of a mastectomy,” she recalls, adding that she would go home early after work to rest.

“My eating habits and those of my daughter changed. We cut down on red meat while increasing our portions and intake of vegetables and fruits.”

Now the mother of one was firmly on course to full recovery. Not quite. In 2013, she was diagnosed with the disease again, 20 years after the first diagnosis. 

Margaret  was more devastated than before. Like the first time, the cancer revealed itself in the form of a tumour on the same left armpit. “I discovered it while bathing. On closely examining it I knew what it was. I wasted no time. I went to the hospital.”

Two tests later, one done at Kijabe Mission Hospital and the other at MP Shah Cancer Center, it was confirmed that the tumour was malignant. ‘‘Results for the last tests were released on a Friday and by Monday the following week I had started chemo.”

Unlike the first time, a surgery was not required this time. Still, Margaret needed to undergo the six rounds of chemotherapy. “The kind of chemotherapy the doctors prescribed this time was intense. The six sessions were supposed to take 12 weeks, a shorter period than before.”

By the time she had completed her treatment, she did not have the strength to go back to running her kiosk. “My body had become weaker. I was also aging.’’ 

Over the years, however, through the sheer force of her will, Margaret has regained her strength and says she is more energetic now than ever before.

It is now five years after she was declared cancer-free. Even so, she has consistently been going for check-ups after three months. 

“I am very vigilant these days. Whenever I notice any abnormality in my body, no matter how small it is, I go to the local dispensary to get checked,” she says.

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