Bundies Care Support Initiative, a non-governmental organization (NGO), on Saturday in Ilorin staged road walks across Ilorin metropolis and aerobic exercises to create awareness on scourge of breast cancer.
The awareness creation has the theme: “Kwara walk for cure’’.
Speaking on the awareness walk, Mrs. Funmilayo Adefila-Osiegbu, the Executive Director of the Initiative, stated that the walk was the crowning of the weeklong programme to commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Week.
She explained that while the initiative intended to create awareness on the disease, it also added fun to it such as the aerobic exercise.
“The event commenced earlier with screening exercise for over 200 market women and secondary school girls of Queen Elizabeth Secondary School Ilorin.
“With our efforts, cases were identified at the Mandate market in Ilorin, where some few women were identified with irregularities.
“We have been able to refer them to the appropriate quarters and we are still able to follow up on them,’’ she said.
Adefila-Osiegbu observed that although the burden of cancer care for patient was huge even for government, the Bundies Care Initiative was giving support to indigenous patients, as well as psychosocial supports.
“We made T-shirts but they are not free, because the proceeds from it will support cancer patients,’’ she said.
Speaking also, Mrs. Olasumbo Oyeyemi, Kwara Commissioner for Finance, said the government would continue to support the initiatives of Bundies Care to create awareness on cancer.
She stated that the Ministry of Finance was supportive of activities surrounding cancer disease, adding that some of the programmes were institutionalized to ensure state budget had supports for patients.
Oyeyemi added that the government would cooperate with necessary NGOs to ensure they prevented them from leaving the state as witnessed in the previous administration.
Speaking also, Dr. Oluwayemisi Adegboye, the Secretary of Medical Women Association of Nigeria (MWAN), Kwara Chapter, noted that breast cancer awareness was not relegated to women only.
She added that men were affected by breast cancer too.
She explained that while men had breasts that were not formed, the female breast was formed as it contains the mammillary glands.
She also explained that the female breast contains fat components that needed to for babies to suck the milk.
The medical expert lamented that the level of ignorance on cancer was high and that such activities carried out by the organization would create awareness and save lives.
Adegboye charged women to examine their breasts regularly at home, as it costs nothing, adding that they could seek medical help as soon as they realized any irregularities on the breasts.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that activities for the programme included distribution of fliers and releasing pink balloons to commemorate victims and patients of cancer. (NAN)
