GASABO - Breast Cancer Initiative East Africa (BCIEA) in collaboration with The National University of Butare (NUR) Faculty of Medicine has held an awareness conference about breast cancer.

This conference, held at Laico Hotel, comes as part of the 14th Medical conference of NUR. Its mission is to ensure that through awareness, education, support and outreach no one in East Africa has to face breast cancer hopelessly and fearfully.

According to the founder/President of BCIEA, Philippa Kibugu-Decuir, once people become informed, empowered and have access to invaluable life-saving resources which she says are readily available in developed countries, the devastating impacts of breast cancer will be overcome and lives saved.

Kibugu who is also a survivor of breast cancer, noted that many women out there get to know their breast cancer status when it’s too late.

The conference which attracted renowned medical practitioners and cancer survivors from Rwanda and other Countries emphasized early detection as the best protection against breast cancer.

Cancer survivors testified on their encounter with breast cancer and what has kept them surviving until now.

"Make it a routine to massage your breasts and if you encounter an unusual lump, rush to a doctor for a cancer test,” warned Oda Nsabimana, a cancer survivor.

"If you have cancer, always think positive. Never put death as an option. I decided to live for my family and children so I went through all the operations.”

Most of the cancer survivors gave chemotherapy as the most complicated stage.

"98% living and surviving Chemotherapy requires being more positive. Spending time being sorry for yourself can’t change anything, you should instead stand-up, fight cancer and be a motivation to other cancer victims around the world,” said Joyace G.Ussin a clinic Nurse and Cancer survivor from USA.

The survivors urged people to comfort and give hope to cancer positive people.

The conference statistics confirmed that only 1out of 5 eligible women gets breast cancer screening in East Africa due to inadequate funding.

Many speakers emphasized awareness about breast cancer and the urge to live after infection.

Part of the conference research revealed that men also suffer from breast cancer. This is due to the fact that men also have breast tissues.

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