Stephanie Benson recounts family’s devastating breast cancer battle

UK-based Ghanaian singer Stephanie Benson, has opened up about her family’s heartbreaking history with breast cancer, revealing that after losing her mother, grandmother and aunt to the disease, she did not hesitate to have both of her breasts removed when she was diagnosed.

Speaking about her experience, Stephanie Benson said she was just 26 when her mother died from breast cancer at age 48.

She later learned that her grandmother had also died from the disease at the same age, while another aunt also lost her life to breast cancer at 48.

My husband objected to me sitting on Majid Michel's lap - Stephanie Benson reveals

According to the singer, it was another aunt who urged her to get checked after she started feeling unwell.

“That is how breast cancer is, there are no major symptoms until it’s too late. Because I know my body so well, I knew something was wrong, so I took her advice,” she said.

Stephanie Benson disclosed that after undergoing medical tests, doctors discovered cancer cells in her uterus during a smear test. Just days later, a mammogram confirmed she also had breast cancer.

Doctors initially suggested scraping out the cancer cells followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but they also presented the option of a mastectomy.

“I said, ‘No problem, they should remove it,’ and the doctor said it was a good idea, so I got them removed,” she recalled.

The singer said watching her mother battle the disease influenced her decision.

She revealed that although her mother had one breast removed, she did not remove the other after her husband discouraged her from doing so, a decision Stephanie Benson believes proved fatal.

“Before my mother died she removed one of her breasts, but my stepfather told her he didn’t want her to remove the other one and that is what killed her. My mother was an educated woman; I don’t know why she did that. We only found out three days before she was going to die. So when it happened to me, it wasn’t even an option. I told them to remove it,” she said, adding that she also had her womb removed a few months later.

Benson admitted the recovery was far from easy, saying she endured several complications after the surgeries.

She also addressed speculation about her appearance, explaining that people wrongly assumed she had undergone cosmetic procedures when, in reality, the swelling was caused by her illness.

“People were talking plenty that I’ve had surgery done on my body, I’ve had a facelift and all of that, but it was because I was swollen from the disease. I just laughed them off,” she said.

@gists_online UK-based Ghanaian singer and actress, @Stephanie Benson opens up about her breast cancer journey, revealing how it led to the removal of her breast as she raises awareness during Breast Cancer Awareness Month on Onua Showtime with @Her Excellency Nana A McBrown #gistsonline ♬ original sound - Gists Online