Anyawu-Akeredolu holds cancer awareness programme for children

Mrs Betty Anyawu-Akeredolu, the Founder and President, Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN), on Wednesday said cancer was a curable disease if detected early.

Anyawu-Akeredolu, wife of Governor-elect of Ondo State, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), spoke at a cancer awareness programme held at the Seed of Life Primary and Secondary School, Eleyele, Ibadan.

It was organised by her pet project, BRECAN, to mark the 2017 World Cancer Day which took place on Feb. 4.

Anyawu-Akeredolu said that the programme was to create awareness among the school children to prevent the disease at an early stage.

“Breast cancer is affecting a lot of our women and even at an early age."

“This is why we decided to bring the awareness down to the school children, who will learn about cancer at an early age."

“Many children have lost their mothers, aunties or sisters to cancer because of ignorance and lack of awareness of early detection."

“These children often watched their beloved parents going through excruciating pains before they finally passed on,” she said.

Also, Dr Kingsley Ndoh, who works with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, U.S, described cancer as an abnormal growth in any part of the body.

Ndoh said that lack of exercise, eating unhealthy foods, smoking and inherited genes from parents could increase the chance of cancer.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that BRECAN team later took the school children through practical demonstration of how to examine breast to detect cancer.

BRECAN was founded in 1997.