Breast Cancer Awareness: Poor widow battles untreated cancer at home, appeals for support

A 52-year-old poor widow, Malebna Abanab is battling for her life from cancer of the breast.

Accra-based CTV News reports that Malebna, who hails from Kongo in the Nabdam District of the Upper East Region, detected an abnormal feeling, lumps and thickening and sudden change in size of her right breast in March 2019.

According to her, she had no pesewa so she did not bother seeing the doctor.

Some family members later took her to the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital where they were asked to get themselves prepared to be transferred to Tamale Teaching Hospital for treatment.

But the family could not go back to the hospital again since they did not have money to travel with the patient to Tamale.

Eventually, part of the right breast was chopped off, with some discharge dropping from the remnants. The family resorted to local medicine to keep away the flies that settled on it.

When the family was recently contacted on the condition of Malebna, they told CTV News that they contacted a herbalist who came to perform some rituals and applied some black medicine but there is no improvement.

“Two or three months ago, you couldn't even come to the compound because the whole place was smelling. They came and performed some rituals, that's why it is somehow better.

“So I'm now appealing to the general public, government and NGOs... those that can help us because they are talking about some amount of money which we cannot afford, the family can't,” Sapambil Joel told CTV News.

Malebna looked pale, dehydrated and weak as at the time CTV News visited her.

The month of October has been set aside as Breast Cancer Awareness month across the globe.