When 29 year old, Elizabeth Mbugua, found out she had cancer, she was teaching in Vietnam.

What started as a sharp pain in her back and appendix in January 2023, turned out to be an early manifestation of cervical cancer as she would come to find out in February 2023.

“I would experience needle-like pain in my back and thought it was my mattress, which I tried changing. However, the pain was still persisting. This is when I sought treatment in a health facility in Vietnam where the Ultrasound results showed I had an ovarian cyst,” she says.

Read: Cancer Survivors Receive Free Wigs At PGH

Elizabeth says she was told the cyst would heal by itself but was still advised to undergo further screening.

A CT scan at the Regional cancer centre in Nakuru.

Photo credit: PURITY KINUTHIA/MTAA WANGU

“I did a Pap smear and breast cancer screening as advised. Nervously, when I received the results seven days later, they turned out negative,” she explains.

In February, she started experiencing bleeding that did not stop. Immediately she decided to see another gynaecologist where she did a biopsy test, and it was later established she had cervical cancer.

“While reading my results I froze and my heart was racing. A lot of things were running through my mind. Why was that happening to me? Am I going to survive it? At the time I did not have health insurance which meant my treatment was going to be very expensive,” she recalls.

In addition, she was struck that she had not seen anyone as young as her diagnosed with Cervical cancer. At the hospital, the majority of the women she met in the cancer wing were 35 years and above.

Elizabeth reveals that she did not know how fast cancer spreads, “When I was diagnosed, I was in stage one which could be treated by surgery. However, it was taking me longer to secure a surgery day in Vietnam. My parents had me travel to Kenya and start my treatment,” she says.

Medical Physicist James Ngure operating a linear accelerator machine used to treat cancer patients through radio therapy at the Regional cancer centre in Nakuru.

Photo credit: PURITY KINUTHIA/MTAA WANGU

Elizabeth says she had a lot of faith that her cancer test in Kenya would be negative.

However, the results indicated that her options for surgery were out and she would have to turn to chemotherapy and radiotherapy for treatment.

Also Read: Oncology Center offers Reprieve to Cancer Patients

Her treatment considerations for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and brachytherapy were referred to Nakuru Referral and Teaching Hospital Regional Cancer Center by doctors at Kenyatta Hospital.

This she says cut her cost of treatment by far.

“I started my treatment journey in March 2023. At the cancer center, I received a lot of support. I came to understand cancer is not a killer disease if realised early and proper support is offered by both doctors and family. One can conquer it,” she says firmly.

Elizabeth says for her treatment she did chemotherapy, 25 sessions of radiotherapy, and three sessions of brachytherapy, which she shares; cost her nearly sh 500,000.

"My treatment at times took a toll on me. I went from having most of the meals to feeling nauseated most of the time. Even taking water was a problem. However, I pushed hard so that I could keep my blood count in check and continue with treatment."

“ I am now cancer-free and living life as a cancer conqueror,” she notes.

Elizabeth says she is now looking forward to going back to Vietnam and continuing to teach English, something she says she had missed a lot while she was on a break receiving treatment.

Elizabeth now hope to go back to Vietnam and be a teacher.

Photo credit: COURTESY

"Doctors said after my treatment I had a 10% chance of conceiving. If I cannot have a child, I will adopt a child," she says in a loving tone as she smiles.

Related: Meet Founder of Nakuru Hospice Palliative Centre

Speaking to Mtaa Wangu on cancer treatment Dr. Siwillis E. Mithe a Consultant Clinical and Radiation Oncologist who doubles as the Head of the Department of Oncology, at the Nakuru Referral and Teaching Hospital Regional Cancer Center says, cancer is curable, adding that she was one of the doctors at Elizabeth's treatment journey.

“Patients come in at the facility for curative radiotherapy and palliative radiotherapy. For Elizabeth, the cancer was identified at an early stage making her curative radiotherapy and brachytherapy treatment successful,” she says.

In addition, she notes that Cancer patients should know that when treatment is administered at an early stage, the cancer cell can be eliminated and one can get back to living a cancer-free life.

Wanjirukinuthia20@gmail.com

Nakuru woman speaks on her triumph over cervical cancer

Author Spotlight

Purity Kinuthia