CERVICAL CANCER: WHEN MEN GET INVOLVED

What would motivate a 50-year old man to give up his daily life to walk 1000km across Kenya? This may sound unusual but it is exactly what Thomas Chacha did in 2016.

When he is not doing extraordinary things, this simple man is going about his life in Kehancha, Migori county, farming and doing business. However, Thomas knows first-hand what it means to suffer from cervical cancer.

He may not be a woman but he surely understands the pain of watching someone die a slow excruciating death from this monster. He has lost loved ones to the dreaded disease. He has struggled to help dozens of others as they deteriorate before his eyes. He has buried far too many in the few years he has been a cervical cancer prevention advocate. He has wept with many orphans and widowers who have suffered devastating losses.

When I first met Thomas, I was in awe. This man had led a small team of men who had walked 500km from Migori to Nairobi in an effort to raise awareness about cervical cancer. The team was exhausted, haggard and worn out but they were elated they had achieved successfully completed their walk.

The cervix is a reproductive organ that is not easily talked about. It is interesting to see the names or phrases coined to describe it. Majority of the bearers of the cervix do not even know what it is or that it is an organ they possess, until it is in real trouble. Many have borne babies through the same cervix but they do not give it the recognition it deserves.

This little part of the female anatomy that separates the lower genital tract from the upper sterile part of the female anatomy bears the responsibility of being a gatekeeper. It keeps micro-organisms within the vaginal canal, denying them access from the uterine cavity and the pelvis at large. It keeps tightly closed for 40 weeks as the baby grows in the womb without letting go, as the uterus grows exponentially to accommodate the little one.

Yet for all its significance, we only pay attention when it refuses to work. We are overwhelmed when the gate is unable to stay closed and our babies miscarry prematurely. We forget to service it by doing regular pap smears and only wake up with a start when it breaks down.

Yet we cannot afford the cost of breaking down. The physical cost is astronomical to the woman affected and her family. Cervical cancer is unforgiving, relentless and ruthless. It eats the woman up from the inside out in every sense. From bleeding, to discharging heavy foul-smelling pus to weight loss, recurrent infections and pain.

As she suffers physically, the emotional and psychological toll on her is massive. One cannot describe what a woman goes through, knowing she is dying and leaving her children orphaned. It is harrowing to know that the infected, pus-oozing mass makes her smell so bad that even her loved ones struggle to stay close. That the very man she once sexually attracted may now be repulsed at the thought.

The financial cost is a subject of discussion worldwide. It is a no-brainer that cancer treatment costs are a huge burden in any nation irrespective of its economic muscle. For this reason, it is not strange to hear the heartbreaking phrase: the patient will go back home to die.

It is these women who inspired Thomas to get up and find a way to make a difference in these women’s lives. He also realized how important to stem the tide and prevent this highly preventable cancers. Through his organization, Thomas has worked tirelessly to put a human face to the fight against this cancer. Moreso, that this face must be a male face, to impress upon all of us that there is no way we can win this war without involving everyone.

It was therefore not difficult to imagine how Thomas lit a fire in all of us to do something in this warfare. This inspiration gave birth to the Step by Step Cervical Cancer Campaign, a 34-day walk from Migori to Mombasa, traversing 14 counties and covering 1000km. This was a partnership between Smilewoman CBO, The Nation Media Group and Swiftmed Solutions with an aim of raising money to screen women for cervical cancer in Migori county and provide treatment for those who require it.

Despite not meeting the target for fundraising, the walk created massive awareness about cervical cancer as disseminated via the media. In addition, it enabled Thomas to put a smile on the face of the women he tirelessly traversed the country for. The campaign has been able to put an NHIF card in the hands of every cervical cancer patient in Migori County. Riding on the declaration made by NHIF recently, to support cancer treatment 100%, this couldn’t be more timely.

Beating the cancer challenge is an effort embodied in the campaign, one little step at a time. Thomas got us this far, we must then not fail him. As we continue to emphasize the importance of screening, we must also look at how to finance that. My humble suggestion is that if NHIF can afford to treat cancer, it can surely afford to screen the population. In the long run, this would be the best investment in reducing the overall cost of treatment!