Kwakwaduam Association of NY Celebrates Mother’s Day

The Kwakwaduam Association Inc. of New York has celebrated its Mother’s Day over the weekend. As part of the celebrations and to add value, a lecture entitled “Gynecologic Cancers” was delivered by Dr. Kwame Aniapam Boafo, a Clinical Associate Professor of OB/GYN at the Montefiore Hospital and Albert Einstein Medical School. He indicated that Cancers involving the vulva, vagina, cervix, uterus and the ovaries constituted the gynecologic cancers and killed a lot of women worldwide each year and even more so in the developing countries.

He discussed the risk factors, symptoms and signs of each of these cancers, how they are diagnosed, the staging and treatment options that existed for each of these cancers. He stressed the need for women to be religious about their annual visits to the GYNS and to be bold to discuss any issues they may have because the best form of treatment for gynecologic cancers is early detection. He said human sexuality was fraught with problems and that unfortunately women bore the brunt of them. He discussed the role the Pap smear and the HPV vaccine in the prevention and detection of cervical cancer. He admonished the mothers to have an open dialogue with their daughters about the recommendation of the HPV vaccine administration for girls 9 – 26 years of age and the prevention STIs in general.

Drs. Samuel Abrokwah and Asante reinforced the need for preventive care and stressed the need for all participants to seek their annual visits to their Primary Care Physicians. Nana Appau Kissiedu Mponoahene of Akropong reiterated the broader role of women in society indicating that women were the pillars on which society was built and that there was a need to have the utmost respect and recognition of the roles they played in society.

The President of the Organization, Mr. Mark Saforo reiterated the mission of the organization and the desire to make Kwakwaduam an organization that understands the needs of its members and not only to organize parties. He added that religious beliefs and cultural practices should not prevent women from seeking timely and appropriate care. Gifts were distributed to the women to mark Mother’s Day and amid music and a fancy cuisine the day was well spent.