Together for a cause

One Saturday afternoon in 2012, a group of four women were gathered at the home of Benda Kithaka in Lang’ata for a delicious meal of ‘matoke’. Ever the generous host, Benda has had such interaction with women at her home before. So what was special about this one, you may ask? As the afternoon wore on, the women engaged in a hearty conversation on issues they needed to turn their energies into, one they would pursue as a lifetime passion. Now, they could have pooled resources in a ‘chama’ and get into some investment to secure their families’ future. But no. They came to the conclusion that they needed to focus their attention on a silent killer that has the potential to decimate the women population in the country – cervical cancer. The women could not have been from diverse backgrounds. Cathy Wacira was in the legal profession, Liz Mbuthia a nurse, Njoki Njiraini a doctor while Benda was in corporate marketing – quite an unlikely combination to combat the killer disease. They even went ahead to form an organisation – Women4Cancer – a vehicle on which to carry on their ideas. “True, we were not experts in cervical cancer treatment but had the passion to sensitise the public on prevention while lobbying to those who could listen to help sufferers,” says Benda. Being in the legal profession, Cathy thought there was little she could do to sensitise women on the dangers posed by cervical cancer. She, however, says sensitising others calls for passion and not qualifications in the medical profession. “Yes, as a lawyer, I never thought I could take any active role in fighting cancer. However, even running around handling clerical matters and putting events together contributes towards the overall awareness agenda,” says Cathy. Like most of us, each of the four women had sad tales of knowing a friend or a relative who was either suffering from or died of cervical cancer. “My younger sister called me one day in a hysterical state and told me, ‘I have cancer!’ Those are the hardest words for any family member to digest. Fortunately, the disease was caught on early enough and she now enjoys a clean bill of health,” says Benda. Liz too, saw her aunt succumb to the disease, adding there was little she could do then to lessen her pain. “Cancer was this big monster that nobody could touch. Now I know it can be treated if detected early. If I can just talk to a few ladies about the disease and the need to go for a test, I have done my small part in combating the disease,” says Mbuthia. NO INFORMATION According to Benda, cervical cancer is the easily detectable of the five gynaecological cancers, and even easier to treat, the others being vaginal, ovarian, uterine and vulva. And although all have the potential to kill if undetected, Kenyan women are in a demographic group that is more susceptible to the disease, mostly due to lack of adequate information on the same. According to the National Guidelines for Cancer Management in Kenya released last year, cervical cancer prevalence in Kenya is estimated to be 2,454 women per year with annual deaths estimated at 1,676. This translates to about 34 out of 100,000 women while the African average is 40.5 per 100,000. Compare that with a country like Norway where cervical cancer prevalence is five for every 100,000. “In the absence of accelerated interventions for screening, detection and early treatment, the incidence of cervical cancer is projected to rise to 4,261 resulting in 2,955 deaths in 2025. Peak age for cervical cancer is 35-45 years, but occurs a decade earlier in women with HIV and Aids,” states the document. Sadly, African women are the least screened while those in developed lands receiving governmental reminders for screening by the time they are sexually active. However, as Benda says, women in Kenya seem to have other priorities that vie for attention, leaving health matters in the back burners. “The country has to realise that this is a social-economic problem. Screening or treating cervical cancer in the early stages saves a woman’s fertility and costs less than treating a full blown case. Managing a stage three or four involves radiation or chemotherapy, procedures that eat into the family budget,” states Benda. It is such statistics that keep Benda and her team on their toes as they seek to sensitise as many women as possible. According to her, out the 200 forms of cancer, 30 per cent are curable; another 30 per cent has better treatment outcomes while another 30 per cent is still manageable. In the quest for advocacy and awareness, Benda and her group are able to negotiate with health institutions whenever cases of cervical cancer are discovered during their regular screening camps. During a recent medical camp held in Sigona, more than 200 women were screened for cervical cancer and the tests taken to a medical laboratory that has concessionary rates for the group. Last Saturday, the group organised what they call a globeathon – a walk in Karura Forest where individuals and corporates pooled resources to test and help manage cervical cancer. The aim is to target at least a million women in four years through such camps, again with the aim of talking to them about the disease. “Breast cancer has received a lot of attention with the month of October set aside to sensitise people on its dangers. But as you are aware, cancer does not respect any particular month on the calendar. I wish we would talk about it every day,” says Kithaka. So far, the group has had success stories as they see women who had been diagnosed early with the disease receiving treatment and thereafter, leading cancer-free lives. They have also received 5,000 pap smear test kits. The group says the matter of women’s health should not be left to women only since the whole family will be affected should the disease encroach on the woman’s health. “Every man should know it’s his business to remind the women in his life to go for a pap smear test at least once a year. For example, every man has either a mother, a wife, a sister, girlfriend or female colleague who needs to be in good health at all times if only for his posterity,” says Benda. On behalf of the other women, Benda says they want to leave behind a movement that will outlive them. In the meantime, they are not going to rest until women in every corner of the country are sensitised on the perils of cervical cancer.