Adesuwa Onyenokwe: TW Editor reveals family experience with cancer

Adesuwa Onyenokwe, Editor In Chief of Today’s Woman Magazine shared some insight as she opened up about her mother, brother and sister’s cancer diagnosis, on world cancer day.

Adesuwa Onyenokwe, publisher & Editor In Chief of Today’s Woman Magazine shared some insight as she opened up about her mother, brother and sister’s cancer diagnosis, on world cancer day, yesterday.

“Today (February 4) is world cancer day and one of the first things I read this morning was of a possible cure!!!

And guess from where? One woman and two men have performed an experiment that saw the active ingredient in a simple malaria drug, Artesunate, killing 100% cancer properties in a tissue taken out of a suffered lungs.

Well while the world waits for the test to be done on actual patients and a cure is pronounced, I feel for cancer patients around the world. I have family and friends who have gone down with it, or are suffering from it and I have an inkling of the pain of helplessness that comes with it. My older brother went down with T cell Lymphoma eight years ago. Five years ago my younger sister had a brush with breast cancer.

Last year my 82-year-old mother found a lump in her breast that was diagnosed as malignant. I felt it so unfair that a woman who should spend her final years in peace enjoying, would be going through this. But as we rally round to help her come to terms with it and the solutions we have chosen, I say may God's will be done. But like I always say what could have been done to prevent this?

My brother died. But His death opened our eyes to the need to be more in touch and we have tried. My sister is living the fifth year cancer free after her diagnosis, and my mum's condition forced us all to get together and take collective decisions on the care she should get. The key word in all of this is that the PAIN brought us to our senses..."

Make sure to get regular check ups for your breasts and get smear tests! Men should also check their prostates regularly once they turn 50! Early detection accelerates survival.

For more on Adesuwa’s story, read up on tw online.