No one had ever told her to go for cancer screening at the age of 19. Cancer screening was a reserve of older women. Cindy∗ (not her real name), was your typical teenage girl, having fun, partying and just enjoying her youth. She was willing to enjoy the newly found freedom of being an adult and that she did to say the least. Sad to say, she was raped at one of the parties and conceived. At the moment, her main worry was whether she had contracted HIV, how her parents would take it and never did the Human Papilloma Virus cross her mind. She had a lot in her mind and she was not willing to dwell on a risk she barely knew about. Her parents took her in and were very supportive of her throughout her pregnancy, something she is forever grateful for. A week before her due date, she went to hospital after getting a muscle spasm. This, she thought, was a sign of early labor and hoped she would deliver her child safely. However, on examination, the obstetrician noticed something abnormal on her cervix. This abnormality was later confirmed to be cancer. She literally saw her world crumbling right in front of her eyes. She thought in horror, “I am going to die!” Her worst fears were yet to come, what of her child? What of her dreams? She felt like life had just handed her a death sentence.

She was diagnosed with cervical cancer at its very initial stages. Lucky for her, it was well managed and she lived to tell her story.

Her advice to women and young girls, get screened! Prevention is better than cure and early detection saves lives. If she had not been pregnant, she would never have known and the cancer would not have been identified at that stage. The story line would have taken a different course. She is grateful that she conceived on that fateful night. Circumstances somehow saved her life and taught her a vital lesson.

Cancer is a disease in which abnormal cells divide uncontrollably and destroy the body tissues. Cervix is the lowest part of a woman’s uterus that connects the uterus with the vagina. Cervical cancer occurs when the cells of the cervix grow abnormally and invade other tissues and organs of the body. Cervical cancer is mainly caused by the Human Papilloma Virus.

Kenya has 13.45 million women ages 15 and older who are at risk of developing cervical cancer. Every year 5,250 women are diagnosed and 3,286 die. Cervical cancer is classified as the second most frequent cancer in women and the first most frequent among women 15-44 years of age. 9.1% of women in the general population are estimated to harbor cervical Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) at any particular moment. This is according to the Human Papilloma Virus and Related Cancers, Fact Sheet 2018 compiled by Kenya; Information Center on HPV and Cancer.

In August 2013, The National Guidelines for Cancer Management Kenya the incidence of cervical cancer in Kenya was estimated to be 2,545 women per year with estimated annual deaths at 1,676 women. In the absence of accelerated interventions for screening, detection and early treatment, the management projected that the incidence of cervical cancer was to rise to 4,261 cases leading to 2,955 deaths in 2025. However, this projection has been met and surpassed in less than a decade. That confirms the high prevalence rate of cervical cancer among women.

Deaths due to cervical cancer in Kenya are high due to late diagnosis. This is because cervical cancer is seen as a disease for promiscuous women and a consequence of a modern lifestyle which many often feel does not relate to them. Women are ashamed to seek medical attention since the disease is associated with the genitalia which are a very personal part of the body. In the recent past, cancer has been the leading cause of death and one being diagnosed with cancer is perceived to be a prolonged death sentence, a surety of a slow death. The social stigma accompanying the disease is unmentionable.

Women can protect themselves from HPV and cervical cancer. Cervical cancer can be prevented with regular screening tests and follow up care. Cervical cancer screening is the process of detecting and removing abnormal tissue or cells in the cervix before cancer cells develop. It can be done in two ways; the Pap smear and the HPV smear. For both, the nurse or the doctor collects cells on the surface of the cervix. With the Pap smear test, the lab checks for cancer cells or abnormal cells that could become cancerous. In the HPV test, the lab checks for the HPV virus.

Cervical cancer can be prevented by getting immunised with the HPV vaccine. Unfortunately the HPV vaccine is not part of the national immunization scheme in Kenya. The two type of the vaccine, are however approved and allowed in the country. According to the National Vaccines and Immunization Program, the vaccine is to be rolled out in this year, 2019.

Women lack the courage to face the society when diagnosed and opt to face their fate in silence. However, we the society are the problem. The society is responsible for all the deaths out of late diagnosis of cancer. The hushed whispers don’t save lives, instead, they turn off that one candle lighting the tunnel and cut off the strings of hope.

“Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

The thought of going for that free screening camp that is advertised on the papers may seem ridiculous but someday everything will make sense. Let the doctor not bother you, they are doing their job. Just imagine of the self-satisfaction. Smile through the tears and take the medication conscientiously because everything happens not by mere coincidence. The world demands your presence, and this is not a request because life has two rules;

1. Never quit
2. Always remember rule number 1.

WARNING!!

The above rules are never to be broken.

Our lives are in our own hands. It is not about us, it is about our loved ones. It is exactly one week to the end of January, the cervical cancer awareness month. Four days may seem too little but it is better late than never. It is exactly 5,760 minutes to create awareness to a friend, a sister, a neighbor. Make it known and save a life.

#bettersafethansorry

#cervicalhealthawarenessmonth

#makeitknown

#cancerawareness,