Appolonia Adeyemi 
A 27-year-old mother of one, Busayo Ekundayo that has been diagnosed with breast cancer, has said she urgently needs the sum of N2 million to resume treatment as the cancer has spread to her spinal cord making her unable to walk. Ekundayo, an orphan, began her travail against breast cancer in August 2021 when she began to feel pain in her left breast.
She said, “I discovered a lump on my left breast in the first week of August 2021. I immediately went to the hospital, Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), where I was diagnosed with breast cancer and was told I had to start treatment.” Narrating the ordeal, Ifeoluwa Adetunji, Busayo’s husband said “She started her treatment at EKSUTH, where she had one course of chemotherapy before the doctors went on strike. She almost died from the reactions of the chemotherapy she had, so we had to look for alternative medicine like Chinese acupuncture and some local herbs for some time.
But all these didn’t work.” We then went to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Ido Ekiti, in May 2022, where we were advised to terminate her pregnancy because the cancer cells were feeding greatly on the foetus. She had five courses of chemotherapy at FMC. Ekundayo explained that all through the treatment at Ido, the situation was only getting worse and not any better. “When I was taking treatment at FMC, the tumour in my breast was increasing in size rather than reducing. It was at that point I was referred to the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan where they changed the chemotherapy drugs and it was like I started the treatment all over again.
I had seven courses of chemotherapy at UCH.” Busayo was being managed at UCH, Ibadan, for “advanced high grade invasive carcinoma No Special Type (NST) of the left breast” where according to the doctor’s report, she “presented clinical features of spinal cord compression (low back pain and bilateral lower limb weakness) power 4/5.”
Following a “machine breakdown” at UCH, she was referred to NSIA funded Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) cancer centre for expert management. Working previously as a private secondary school teacher in Ado Ekiti, Ekundayo claimed that she has so far spent about N3 million on the treatment. “Since I began this treatment, we have spent approximately N3 million. This is money from myself and my husband’s personal savings, from family, friends and loans.”
Busayo’s husband, Ifeoluwa explained that the situation is telling on his business and her current inability to walk makes it very difficult for him to go about his business in order to raise more money. He said, “The cancer spreading to her spine has made it so much worse.
She is currently unable to move, so I have to be available to help her and take care of her. Which means I can’t monitor my poultry business. Not just that, assuming she could still walk, the cost of transportation would not be so much. Anywhere we go now, we have to go by private transportation which is very expensive.” Presently, Busayo has said that she is not receiving any treatment for her condition because of the poor financial state of herself and her husband. “We have expended all our savings on this treatment, we have even gotten loans.
As it stands now, I am in the house, I’m being cared for by my husband and my family because we don’t have enough money to pay for the treatment at LUTH.” Speaking about her needs, Busayo urges Nigerians to help her in this battle against breast cancer in order to be able to take care of her five-year-old son.
She said, “My legs feel very heavy, such that I cannot lift them at all, from my spine down to my stomach, to my legs. I currently need an emergency palliative radiotherapy to stop the cancer growth on my spine so that I can walk again. I’m using this medium to appeal to Nigerians to please support me so that I can live again and take care of my son.” To help Busayo Ekundayo, forward your support to bank account details: Busayo Ekundayo 0124827890, GTBank. You can reach her on telephone contacts: 08036288642 or 07035030333.
