Photo credit, Lisca
At the beginning of October, Fatma Guénoune continues interviews with the media.
Since she became involved in the fight against cancer, she knows that “Pink October”, this awareness campaign against the disease, constitutes a unique moment for her, those who fight against this silent evil which wreaks havoc among women.
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The test
This year, Pink October has a special meaning for this woman, a doctor in her late sixties, who has embodied the fight against breast cancer in Senegal for several decades.
In fact, Fatma Guénoune discovered a few months ago, following a routine check-up, that she herself had a cancerous tumor.
''I discovered my tumor through self-examination, self-palpation,'' says Dr. Fatma Guénoune. ''When I felt my breast, I saw a mass that was not a regular mass. So, I found that it was suspicious and it was cancer,'' she says, letting no emotion overcome her as she tells her story.
''I'm a doctor, I'm used to feeling breasts, feeling masses. And when I felt my breast, this tumor, I knew it was cancer,'' explains Ms. Guénoune, a doctor specializing in cervicovaginal pathologies, engaged in the fight against cancer for several decades.
While she devotes all her commitment and all her energy to the fight against cancer, to offering free screening services and support to poor women suffering from this disease, Fatma Guénoune must now live and face the disease as a patient.
A test that she is used to seeing other women face and which she personally accepted to face in turn as a believer.
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''I gave thanks to God, because I experienced cancer in my flesh, in my family. I accompanied members of my family to their death,'' she said.
Far from being disconcerted by the appearance of this tumor at this stage of her life, she maintains that she “was not destabilized”.
''I usually say, it was Doctor Fatma Guénoune who diagnosed Fatma Guénoune's illness and this is the behavior I have towards patients,'' explains the woman who has headed LISCA, (Senegalese League Against Cancer) for more than ten years.
She says the discovery of the cancerous tumor strengthened her faith. Fatma Guénoune considers herself even luckier than thousands of other patients because “I did not have to undergo chemotherapy or radiotherapy”.
After the diagnosis, the radical decision
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However, she had to make a radical decision by undergoing breast removal. ''I made this decision because breast cancer is genetic in me. So, keeping a breast where cancer could occur is not worth it. It's living with constant stress. To avoid stressing out and getting another breast cancer in the future, I decided to have this bilateral ablation.
''I accepted it because I think that at my age, I no longer have anything to prove to this femininity'' declares Fatma Guénoune adding ''to have no scruples about showing myself without breasts''.
Since having her breasts removed, she has been undergoing hormone therapy, a treatment which will last for a few more years.
Asked about the reaction of her relatives who knew her in this fight against cancer and who must now look at her as a patient, Fatma Guénoune specifies that her relatives ''did not believe my diagnosis''.
''I have a younger brother who thought I was bluffing. He was the one who cried a lot when he saw me with my bandages because he didn't believe it at first.
Continuing her story, she says she remained calm after the final diagnosis, which pushed many people to ask questions about her illness.
''My sister for example, she tells me why didn't you cry? I told him, if I cry who will comfort you? Usually it's me who comforts you, you can't comfort me, so I have to be strong for myself and for you.
Being personally affected by an illness that we fight every day could have changed his outlook. Nope.
The story of a commitment against cancer
''My outlook has not changed, on the contrary, I have always supported women who were in need, sick women, destitute women who could not take care of themselves,'' recalls Dr Fatma Guénoune.
A commitment she had as a doctor and which led her to make the fight against cancer her hobby horse and to join LISCA which she has now led for more than a decade.
Within this organization, she and her comrades in the association cultivate a spirit of solidarity towards all women suffering from cancer in the face of the adversity of this disease.
''We believe that together we can overcome challenges and bring comfort to those who need it most. Every gesture, every donation, every action, whether small or large, strengthens the solidarity fabric that supports those who fight against cancer.
''Cancer is a formidable disease, but hope is our driving force. We know that every progress, every victory, every research carried out contributes to a better future. We believe that with the support of all, from hope comes healing,” indicates the organization.
Making screening a habit
Around 2,220 new cases and more than 1,300 deaths are reported each year in Senegal, according to figures provided by LISCA.
Poor patients who arrive at LISCA seek an attentive ear, support in the management of this disease, the average direct medical costs of which are estimated at 5.3 million FCFA for the treatment of breast cancer.
When a patient's file is accepted after an investigation, the organization takes into account chemotherapy products, inputs, analyses, scanners, surgical intervention, radiotherapy, post-therapeutic follow-up and provides psychological support to patients.
Faced with the burden of breast cancer, LISCA is intensifying its prevention actions and focusing on early detection, which remains to this day the most effective weapon for saving lives and reducing the financial burden that weighs on the heads of the families of people with breast cancer.
In Senegal, 70 to 80% of cases of breast cancer are diagnosed at an advanced stage, making remission almost impossible.
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