About 4,500 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, of which over 2,000 do not survive.
This translates into an average of six women dying everyday.
The wife of the former Vice-President, Samira Bawumia, who gave the statistics, called on all, particularly women, to undertake regular personal examinations for early detection and to seek prompt medical screening and attention for early detection to reduce the fatalities.
“These are our mothers, these are our sisters, these are our daughters, these are our friends,” she said.
She indicated that while the disease was rare in men, they were also diagnosed with the disease and, therefore, urged men to also conduct self-examination for early detection.
Mrs Bawumia was speaking at a breast cancer awareness campaign organised by the Samira Empowerment and Humanitarian Project (SEHP), in collaboration with the women’s wing of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Cape Coast in the Central Region last Monday.
She appealed for the removal of all forms of stigma against survivors of breast cancer.
Rather, she advocated emotional, psychological and material support for survivors to live their lives.
“Every diagnosis is not just a number, but a personal story of faith, fear, pain and perseverance but most importantly, of courage and hope.
She commended the advocates and caregivers for their immense roles in supporting survivors through the journey.
She observed that breast cancer continued to be one of the leading causes of death among women, overtaking cervical cancer as the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women.
“Tragically, many of these cases are diagnosed late when hope is dim and treatment less effective,” she stated.
Participants were screened and advised not to throw caution to the wind.
