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Dike Onwuamaeze

Women have been advised to know their breast so well that whenever anything is wrong they could quickly deal with it.

This advice was given by medical personnel of the Health Kinect Limited, Dr. Olaide Omotosho-Ikuru, during the recent Lagos Women Fitness Fair, which was organised by the Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN).

Omotosho-Ikuru told women, both young and old, to know their “breasts so well so that if anything is wrong you quickly go out and deal with it because cancer does not happen overnight. It happens over a long time.

“Know your breast to the extent that when something is wrong you can say ‘this is not my breast.’”

She advised women to be “looking up on the texture on the skin of the breast to notice some changes on the skin like those little dots we see on oranges sometimes. You will be checking the nipples and the armpit for lumps.

“The most important thing is that no woman should leave a lump in her breast. Breast cancer has nothing to do with age, so even children should be watchful about lumps in the breasts.  

“We used to say check your breast when your period is over, which is once a month. But you do not need to wait for that long because anything can happen in between the periods. Early detection saves life and that is what we preach because prevention is better than cure.”

In his welcome remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of Curves Nigeria, Mr. Emma Esinnah, harped on the need for  vigorous physical activities because experts agreed that unfit and obese people risk many illnesses, including cancers, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis etc., adding that “breast cancer is essentially a female illness which can be controlled through appropriate lifestyle.

Esinnah explained that the objectives of the fair were to “sensitise women to the benefits of fitness in fighting common illness and to encourage women to make necessary lifestyle changes for their health and happiness.”

According to the United States of America Commercial Counselor to Nigeria, Ms. Julie LeBlanc, breast cancer is an important health because it “touches all of our lives.”

She applauded the organisers of the event for what they were doing to educate wome, especially the young folks. “This is such an important issue and event,” she said.

Speaking during the event, the Chief Executive of Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation, Dr. Olalekan James Makinde, said that about I.6 million deaths every year could be associated with lack of physical activities. “I am a public health physician and epidemiologist, so this are the figures I deal with all the time. This programme is very important and that is why we are here to support it,” Makinde said.

The Chairperson of BRECAN, Mrs. Chinenye Arih, said that the association is connecting with secondary schools to reach young girls and get their message to every home.

“Our goal is to reduce the rate of deaths as a result of cancer,” Arih said.