How to check your Breasts for Lumps - Breast Cancer Awareness.

How to check your Breasts for Lumps - Breast Cancer Awareness.

There’s no right or wrong way to check your breasts.

It’s important to know how your breasts normally look and feel. That way, you can spot any changes quickly and report them to your GP. A lump could be an early sign of breast cancer.

Be breast aware Every woman's breasts are different. Many women have one breast bigger than the other.

Get used to how your breasts feel at different times of the month. This can change during your menstrual cycle. For example, some women have tender and lumpy breasts around the time of their period. After the menopause, normal breasts feel soft, less firm and not lumpy. Click here for more information.

The Welcome Dance - Breast Cancer Awareness

Watch Cancel Cancer Africa volunteer Jacqui Dorney talk about her Breast Cancer Awareness trip to rural Busia, Kenya.

Watch Cancel Cancer Africa volunteer Jacqui Dorney talk about her Breast Cancer Awareness trip to rural Busia, Kenya...http://youtu.be/droteoOJaDU

Thank you Yongxing Steel for your support

As we celebrate our Sixth year this month, we say a very big thank you to Yongxing Steel for partnering with CCA to help make the 2013 Breast Cancer Awareness program a succes across four rural communities. During the four days program we were able to examine over 1200 women working along side four Nurses, two doctors and eighteen volunteers.

We appreciate your support, Yongxing Steel. We look forward to many more years saving lives together in rural Africa.

All people, whether male or female, are born with some Breast cells and tissue.

All people, whether male or female, are born with some Breast cells and tissue.

Cancer is a broad term for a class of disease characterized by abnormal cells that grow and invade healthy cells in the body.  Breast cancer starts in the cells of the Breast as a group of Cancer cells that can then invade surrounding tissues or spread (metastasize) to other areas of the body.

All people, whether male or female, are born with some Breast cells and tissue. Even though males do not develop milk-producing breasts, a man’s breast cells and tissue can still develop Cancer. Even so, male breast Cancer is very rare.

Read more of this by clicking HERE http://cancelcancerafrica.org/1/post/2014/11/all-people-whether-male-or-female-are-born-with-some-breast-cells-and-tissue.html

Buying a New Bra is not my priority, as long as I can feed my children, who needs a bra?

Buying a New Bra is not my priority, as long as I can feed my children, who needs a bra?

Buying a bra in many rural communities in Africa is not as easy as we think. It’s amazing the little things we take for granted. Imagine having to go through four to five years with just one bra.

Madame Eniye who sells able roasted peanuts in a local market in Benin, said “buying a bra is not my priority, as long as I can feed my children, who needs a bra? I will just cover up my breast with a wrapper (Smiling). My husband is not working” (Translated). 

This is a very common response among women in rural Africa. The disturbing issue is that, those who are able to buy a bra, continue using it when they put on weight or loose weight, which now leads to high “Breast Pain” complaints in Africa.

If you ask ten (10) women of their bra sizes, just one may be to tell you. The bra’s band digs into their flesh (around the torso). “A bra is supposed to fit tightly, but the band should not dig into the flesh,” we try to teach. We educate the women to try to change into a larger band size, taking into reflection the extra cost to them and their key priorities. It will be a huge success when we are able to get 10% of all the women we breast examine in 2015 to buy one extra bra each year. I pray that soon we shall be able to share free bras to women in rural African communities.

So many of the women have their shoulder straps cutting into their shoulders, due to a small cup size, but sometimes also due to small band size. It is very common for a breast-feeding mothers to keep on wearing the same bra she had while she was pregnant, as this is the only bra she has and can afford. Just think if we had the opportunity of giving one used or new bra to every woman we breast-examine in 2015.

December 9th Cancel Cancer Africa will be kicking off the ‘Bra-4-Africa’ global campaign, our goal is to encourage people to support with Used or New Bras. We aim to carry out over four thousand breast examinations in 2015 across rural communities in Limpopo, South Africa, Busia County, Kenya and Edo State, Nigeria.

For more information please visit our website on www.cancelcancerafrica.org or kindly send us a mail to info@cancelcancerafrica.org

What are the chances of beating Metastatic Cancer in Africa?

What are the chances of beating Metastatic Cancer in Africa?

"After reading this I lamented, for we have a long way to go in Africa. Even ethnic minorities in developed countries, still don’t take Breast cancer seriously."

Metastatic Cancer?

Metastatic cancer is a cancer that has spread from the part of the body where it started (the primary site) to other parts of the body. When cancer cells break away from a tumour, they can travel to other areas of the body through the bloodstream or the lymph system (which contains a collection of vessels that carry fluid and immune system cells).

If the cells travel through the lymph system, they may end up in nearby lymph nodes (small, bean-sized collections of immune cells) or they may spread to other organs. More often, cancer cells that break off from the main tumour travel through the bloodstream. Once in the blood, they can go to any part of the body. Many of these cells die, but some may settle in a new area, begin to grow, and form new tumours. This spread of cancer to a new part of the body is called metastasis.

Cancer cells have to go through several steps to spread to new parts of the body:

• They have to be able to break away from the original tumour and enter the bloodstream or lymph system, which can carry them to another part of the body.
• They need to attach to the wall of a blood or lymph vessel and move through it into a new organ.
• They need to be able to grow and thrive in their new location.
• They need to be able to avoid attacks from the body’s immune system.

Going through all these steps means the cells that start new tumours may no longer be exactly the same as the ones in the tumour they started in. This may make them harder to treat. Even when cancer has spread to a new area, it’s still named after the part of the body where it started. Treatment is also based on where the cancer started. For example, if prostate cancer spreads to the bones, it’s still prostate cancer (not bone cancer), and the doctor will recommend treatments that have been shown to help against metastatic prostate cancer. Likewise, breast cancer that has spread to the lungs is still breast cancer, not lung cancer, and is treated as metastatic breast cancer.

Sometimes the metastatic tumours have already begun to grow when the cancer is first found and diagnosed. And in some cases, a metastasis may be found before the original (primary) tumour is found. If a cancer has already spread to many places when it’s found, it may be very hard to figure out where it started. If this happens the cancer is called cancer of unknown primary.

The Spread.

Where a cancer starts often plays a role in where it will spread. Most cancer cells that break free from the original tumour are carried in the blood or lymph until they get trapped in the next “downstream” organ or set of lymph nodes. Once the cells are there, they can start new tumours. This explains why breast cancer often spreads to underarm lymph nodes, but rarely to lymph nodes in the groin. Likewise, there are many cancers that commonly spread to the lungs. This is because the heart pumps blood from the rest of the body through the lungs’ blood vessels before sending it elsewhere. The liver is a common site of spread for cancer cells that start in the colon because blood from the intestines flows into the liver.

Cancer cells often break away from the main (primary) tumour and travel through the blood and/or lymph system, but they don’t always settle in and start new tumours. Most of the time, the cells that broke away die. When cancer does spread to other organs and start to form new tumours, it’s because of certain genetic changes in the cells that scientists are now starting to understand. Someday, doctors may be able to tell if a person’s cancer is the type that will spread to other organs by looking for these genetic changes. Research is also focusing on treatments that block or target these genetic changes so the cancer cells can’t spread and grow.

Sometimes the patterns of spread cannot be explained by where things are in the body. Some cancer cells are able to find and invade certain sites far away from where they started. For example, advanced prostate cancer often moves into the bones before spreading to other organs. This “homing” pattern may be caused by substances on the cancer cell surfaces that stick to cells in certain organs.


After reading this I lamented, for we have a long way to go in Africa. Even ethnic minorities in developed countries, still don’t take Breast cancer seriously. The fight to raise awareness must go on. Please support our work or come with us to rural Africa. Volunteers are welcome from every part of the world.

To volunteer or give to us please CLICK or email info@cancelcancerafrica.org

We need volunteers for our planned Breast cancer awareness trips to Limpopo Province in South Africa and Busia County in Kenya in 2015.

We need volunteers for our planned Breast cancer awareness trips to Limpopo Province in South Africa (4th -13th March) and Busia County in Kenya (13th – 22nd August) in 2015.

CCA is a small registered non-profit CIC in England. Our vision through increased awareness is to reduce the rate of mortality and morbidity caused by Breast cancer in rural Africa.

We do this by visiting rural communities in Africa educating women on how to self examine their breasts for changes and also share information about the early signs and symptoms of Breast Cancer. Our team of volunteers is a mixture of medical and non-medical professionals.

During our activities in the rural communities, the volunteers distribute simple printed materials explaining breast self-examination and what changes to look out for. Due to language differences we sometimes publicly demonstrate how this is done, through an interpreter. In each community we work with the local health centers, this allows us to transfer knowledge and develop continuity and sustainability with the local Nurses and Doctors. While the medical teams are examining the women in the private rooms, they explain to each woman how to repeat the examination and note any observation. One of the biggest challenges in rural Africa is the absence of accurate data, so we gather information through questionnaires. Our information must be as simple as possible.

Cancer care facilities are almost non-existence in rural areas and funding for treatments are very high. Our prayer is to use these missions to encourage local and international health partners to focus on cancer care in rural Africa, provide rural experience to volunteers and reduce the high number of last presentation in Africa.
To join please fill in the form via this link...http://www.cancelcancerafrica.org/volunteer.html

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WINNER: CCA Model of September.

WINNER: CCA Model of September. 

Fighting Cancer with beauty. Be our October winner. ‪#‎ccanigeria‬ Kicks off from Dec 1st- 7th. www.cancelcancerafrica.org
http://t.co/MRueukRLZJ

Day 2 Pictures of Cancel Cancer Africa - Kenya.

Please click below to view day 2 pictures.

https://m.facebook.com/?hrc=1&refsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fh.facebook.com%2Fhr%2Fr&_rdr#!/dronniejshow/albums/784370844941806/?v&ref=bookmark

CCA Kenya - Day 2 #ccakenya

Good morning from Nairobi Kenya. Woke up to a bit of rain so could not go out for my morning run. Getting set for a few meetings and then the long trip to Busia county. Very nice and friendly people.

Nice breakfast.....will keep you all updated. #ccakenya day 2

Does FGM affect SEX ?

Pls don’t forget to support our aim

Pls don’t forget to support our aim to buy a Portable Ultrasound Machine to take with us https://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/cancel-cancer-africa/203713

 

http://www.cancelcancerafrica.org

You have been breaking my heart for too long, enough is enough...

 You have been breaking my heart for too long, enough is enough...

Imagine women queuing up in Africa, waiting to have free Ultra-Sound screening, having been told they have lumps. Imagine the joy it will bring to the women who can’t afford breast screening or any form of treatment, knowing they have been diagnosed with a breast tumour.

One of our biggest challenge during our Africa health awareness trips is seeing women with breast lumps and not been able to do anyt

hing about it. Imagine spending time persuading a woman to allow you carry out breast examination, you then find a lump and are helpless on what to do next.

It has been breaking our hearts for too long, hence we have decided to raise funds to buy an Ultra-Sound machine. This will help us take our free service one step further. At least we will be able to partially diagnose any lump we find during our trips in Africa.

We need your donations to help us do this. We travel to Kenya in September and have four African trips to make in twelve months. We have volunteers from England and far away countries travelling down to raise cancer awareness in African countries. We also have the governments of Africa communities encouraging our trips. We need your support.

Please help us do more, just click this link and make a difference in Africa. 

Thank you for your support, as we will not give up in our fight even in the face of huge challenges. You can join us at Hyde Park on Sunday the 27^th of July for the Cancel Cancer Africa Fundraising Picnic from 2pm. Click for more details. http://dronniejshow.wix.com/cancelcancerafrica#!london-4-africa-27th-july/chit

 

Thank you.

Email: Ronnie Jacobs.

Our website. 

Help Cancel Cancer Africa To Provide Free Ultrasound in Africa..

7 days to Cancel Cancer Africa picnic in Hyde Park

7 days to Cancel Cancer Africa picnic in Hyde Park..

This time next week we will be having fun at the Cancel Cancer Africa picnic in Hyde Park to help us raise funds for our September Kenya trip. (July 27th)

JOIN US ‪#‎breastcancerawareness‬ http://t.co/7h0TjiCExq

We need an Ultra-Sound Machine to Help us do more for rural African women. Help Cancel Cancer Africa

Cancel Cancer Africa Fundraiser: Please Click to Donate.. 

We need an Ultra-Sound Machine to Help us do more for rural African women. We are organising a fundraising event at Hyde Park on the 27th of July at 2pm.

As I am sure you are aware, the Cancer burden in Africa is a very complicated issue. Many people present to the hospital with late stage disease due to the lack of awareness about symptoms, together with cultural and superstitious misconceptions.

The mission of Cancel Cancer Africa is;

·               To improve the knowledge of what signs and symptoms to look out for,

·               Carry out free screenings and

·               To encourage women go to see a doctor if any of these occur.

Being able to afford treatment is a huge challenge in Africa, so we work in partnership with the local health authorities to develop ways to fund treatments for any women that we find who needs further investigations or treatment, as well as work towards a long term plan to reduce breast cancer in Africa.

Over a two (2) weeks period (15^th to 27^th September 2014) we in collaboration with the Busia Government will be:

·               Visiting seven districts in Busia County in Kenya,

·               Giving information on Breast cancer and teaching self breast examinations,

·               Carrying out road shows in public places,

·               Performing Breast examinations and with your support Ultra-Sound.

·               Holding a Breast Cancer Awareness event.

·               Collating data for long term planning and monitoring.

Our objective is to reduce the rate of mortality and morbidity caused by Cancer in Africa. We need your support in many ways. If you’re a health worker we would love for you to come with us, if you not we need your enthusiasm and positive energy during this selfless journey. We have people showing interest from far away India, so why don’t you join us.

Please donate, help us reach our target, help us do more.

Cancel Cancer Africa is organised by a registered CIC in UK: Good for Africa Reg-09068784.

If you can't make it, please make a safe & secure donation by clicking the link below. Help us buy this Ultra-Sound to provide free Breast Screenings in Africa.

Thank you,
Ronnie Jacobs

What a group of positive volunteers, come on Kenya!!!

Cancel Cancer Africa's visit to the Kenya High Commission in England.  9th July 2014.

A big thanks to Ambassador Jackline L. Yonga the Deputy Head of Mission, for making us very welcome. 

What a group of positive volunteers Jacqui Dorney, Deirdre Trussler, Lynne Omar, can’t wait for Kenya in September.

Next is the Cancel Cancer Fundraising Picnic at Hyde Park. 27th July. 

We need your support. Order your T-Shirts now, please Call/Text +44 7977 040 165.

Twitter:https://twitter.com/CancelCancerAf

It is just a matter of time before Yusuf Yakubu dies, if he does not get your help.

We are counting the days as he lies helplessly in his old and lonely hospital bed, hoping and praying for someone to help.

As requested, Cancel Cancer Team went to visit Mr. Yusuf Yakubu to confirmed that his current health situation. Below are our findings:

Yusuf Adetunji Yakubu is a 30 years old Man, a 400 level Psychology student of Psychology department in the University of Lagos (Unilag), Lagos. He is sick with Cancer of the Throat and can hardly speak at the moment.

He has been admitted at the Male ward, Ward E6 Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Lagos.

On arrival, we met with the nurse on duty, who told us visiting hours were from 5:00pm. However, after stating our mission, she allowed us to see Yusuf briefly.

Although, Yusuf could hardly speak; we managed to ask him a few questions, which he affirmed by nodding his head. He showed us his mother's phone number (Mrs Rafiat Idowu 08032252330) on his phone and pleaded with us to call her for more details since he could painfully not speak much.  

On calling the mother, she gave us more details and one of Yusuf’s former class mate and friend's phone number: 08023546318 (Thomas Titilope). Titilope said Yusuf was her classmate and would have graduated with them three weeks ago when they graduated. 

 She also said that Yusuf was diagnosed of the cancer of the throat last year (2013) and has been hospitalised since then. She requested our e-mail address to send us more details on Yusuf's condition, which we did.

As we were about leaving, one of Yusuf's aunt; Mrs. Thomas Eniola: (08027350411) came in with her friends to visit Yusuf but the nurse advised them to come back 5:00pm during visiting hours. And so they left.

Current update: Yusuf needs to travel to Apollo Hospital in India on the 13^th of July, 2014. The doctors are on strike in Nigeria and his situation is getting worse. We need your contributions. It is just a matter of time before Yusuf Yakubu dies, if he does not get our help.

We are counting the days as he lies helplessly in his old and dirty hospital bed, hoping and praying for someone to help.

Report compiled by Sheila Ogbotor (07066082663) and Eyiyere Mercy (08055848252).

Watch "SAVE YUSUF YAKUBU" on YouTube SAVE YUSUF YAKUBU: http://youtu.be/vmpayw_iJYU

GIVE ONLINE HERE

https://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/please-save-yusuf/198202/donate#pp

It's typical for parents who've lost hope, to book their child into hospital to die...#saveyusuf

It's typical for parents who've lost hope, to book their child into hospital to die...

The story of Yakubu Yusuf caught my attention when I saw his picture trending on twitter. First I was sceptical and wanted to be sure it was true before I got involved. I posted his picture on my facebook page, which got a lot of people asking questions about him. This led me to investigate more. What I discovered shocked me.

He is on his final year as a psychology student at the university of Lagos and was preparing to graduate. Coming from a poor home he worked hard all through to keep his dream alive. Yukubu was diagnosed with Nasopharyngeal cancer, and his dreams stopped.

His poor mother has been trying to get him through radiation treatment by taking him from home, but due to lack of funds, she had no choice but to send Yusuf to the local hospital for admission. Before you start getting hopeful about Yusuf’s condition, let me paint you a picture about the hospitals in Africa.

In Africa, you pay for everything in a hospital, you pay for drinking water, someone close to you to buy you drinking and cleaning water. You pay to get changed, if you do not have money to update your bills you are sent packing. Meaning the mum needs to keep paying for the hospital bed everyday, even though the hospital can’t do anything for him. She needs to travel a long way to the hospital each day, begging for money to travel, money to buy his drugs (Pain killers), money to pay for his bed, money to even feed him

The doctors and nurses can’t administer treatment without payment, not event a plaster. You need to understand that, as the mother is running around looking for help, she is constantly been told, “Oh sorry, God will do it”. And while she is running around, she is not making money either. It’s like a vicious circle. Yes God will do it, but we need to start giving.

It’s hard for the mother to be hopeful in Yusuf’s case.

This is a typical situation as parents who have lost hope, book their relatives into hospitals for them to die peacefully due to family pressure. The painful truth isYusuf’s time on earth is just a matter of weeks. But we can do something about it. All he needs to stay alive and graduate is for us to give just $5 each to have his operation done in India.

It is just a matter of time before Yusuf Yakubu dies, if he does not get our help. We are counting the days as he lies helplessly in his old and dirty hospital bed, hoping and praying for someone to help. BBC did a good write up about how people are using social media to save him. His friends are doing their best. But please enough of hope and faith, time for action.

All you need to do is send your contributions in quickly, please. We are counting the days of Yusuf’s life. Everyday henceforth, is lived by faith and believe that God will make it happen. We need your support. Yusuf must live.

To help please contact Henry +234 812 029 3938. UK: 07405 144 789 or email

This campaign is supported by Cancel Cancer Africa a Cancer awareness group operating under Good For Africa CIC UK registered Number 9068784

Youtubelink: Cancel Cancer Africa.

SAVE YAKUBU FB PAGE :https://www.facebook.com/groups/816537825022894/

"All we are and all we ever will be is for your Glory" 24 days to go..

You have changed my sadness into a joyful dance;

You have taken away my sorrow

and surrounded me with joy. 

So I will not be silent;

I will sing praise to you.
Lord, you are my God;

I will give you thanks forever.

"For everything you have been using me for oh Lord, 

I say Thank you. All I am and all I ever will be is for your Glory". 

 Ronnie Jacobs.

24 Days to Go! CLICK HERE

Please, Join us on Sunday 2pm at Hyde Park 
on the 27th of July 
for the London Cancel Cancer Africa Picnic. 

So many people laugh at me for failing, and some will even label me a failure.....

Don’t stop when people laugh at your failures..it happens to me a lot.

One thing I know for sure is that in the pursuit of your dream, you will fail a lot. So many people laugh at me for failing, and some will even label me a failure. One thing that is very common is for people to turn their heads when you come up with a new way to achieve your dream. 

I remember many a times when I tried and was told, “oh not another idea again”. I know how these comments made me feel. I tried hard not to allow these comments affect me but it was hard not to. It took me a long time to learn how to use these negative comments as a motivator.
 

My advise to you today looking back, is that, keep going. Imagine if I had stopped when those close to me were telling me to stop or give up and follow their ideas. Those that don’t take risk are always scared when you do. Risk takers do great things. One thing is certain, with God on your side you can climb over higher mountains. 

Please, start that one thing you love, and give it your all. Take people’s comments, good or bad, as motivation to drive on only. At the end, the same people that talk you down come praising you when you start climbing. Funny !

Please, join us on Sunday 2pm at Hyde Park on the 27^th of July for the London Cancel Cancer Picnic.  

We (Cancel Cancer Africa Team) will be going to Kenya in September and need funds to help us buy a lot of things we need for the people of rural Busia districts. We need your support

God Bless You…EMAIL US