Stop stigmatisation against breast cancer victims — Survivor

A stage three breast cancer survivor has urged the public to stop stigmatising breast cancer patients as it harms their ability to seek treatment, reintegrate into society and receive the support they need.

The founder of the MaudLokko Breast Cancer Foundation, Susan Tsotsoo Malik, emphasised the importance of public acceptance and support for breast cancer patients.
“Women try to shy away from coming out because people will point fingers at them that they are having a disease that is devilish or they are cursed”, she stated.

She was speaking at a breast screening event organised by Graphic Communication Group Ltd. (GCGL) in collaboration with Euracare.

Sharing her personal experience, Mrs Malik revealed that her breast cancer did not start with a lump but with chest pain.

She mentioned that she lived with the symptom for about two years before being diagnosed, stressing the need for early detection.

She, therefore, encouraged women to perform regular self-examination and advised patients to be confident and not let stigmatisation affect their self-esteem.

Mrs Malik noted that even for those who had undergone treatment and lost their breast, “they find it difficult to blend in society because we are like, oh, she doesn’t have breasts and when they speak in the local dialect, it is quite disheartening”.

Early detection

A nurse at Euracare Advanced Diagnostics and Heart Centre, Abigail Larley Larkotey, said the screening was to raise awareness about breast cancer, provide accessible screening to the staff of Graphic and promote the importance of early detection.

“Early detection is very important because when you detect it early, you can fight it and you will be able to cure it. So if you are not able to detect breast cancer early, and by the time it gets detected, you might die out of it”, she stated.

Ms Larkotey outlined the screening methods, which involved palpation and visual examination, saying, "we are conducting the examination using our hands. We use our palms to palpate the breast to check for any abnormalities."

She encouraged the public to visit clinics for free screening during October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

She also encouraged men to undergo screening, as they were also at risk of developing breast cancer, although the percentage of risk was significantly higher for women.

“Mostly, people say, what you don’t know won’t kill you but for breast cancer, what you don’t know would rather kill you. Because when you detect it early, it is quite helpful and will save your life.