Akanimo Cancer Foundation, a non- governmental organisation, has joined six cities in Nigeria to mark the International Childhood Cancer Awareness Day, with a walk through some major roads in Uyo, just as it has announced that it is currently supporting five children undergoing cancer treatment in different hospitals in Nigeria.
The International Childhood Cancer Awareness Day is commemorated on every 15 February across the globe, to highlight the vital role of community engagement and support in addressing the complexities associated with childhood cancer.
According to Akanimo Cancer Foundation, the awareness walk which took place on Thursday, held in Uyo, Kano, Abuja, Ibadan, Lagos and Port Harcourt, to raise awareness on the need for regular check up and support for children and families going through this disease.
The foundation said it was imperative to commemorate the International Childhood Cancer Awareness Day with a road walk, in view of its determination to improve the quality of life for young cancer patients in Nigeria, by creating awareness, supporting treatment and research.
While assuring the people of its commitment to restore hope to children who are down with cancer, Akanimo Cancer Foundation said it would continue to work hard to demystify all the myths associated with the disease in Nigeria.
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“By fostering a community of care, advocacy and resilience, we strive to not only combat childhood cancer, but also illuminate the path to recovery with love, joy and endless possibilities for a brighter future; to showcase to our people that cancer is not always a death sentence, and breakdown the myths that surround the disease as a curse, a jinx and a taboo subject “.
A pediatrician from the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Dr. Lovina Ekpo, who spoke at the end of the awareness walk at The Cenotaph, Udo Udoma Avenue, Uyo, said research shows that one in every three children dies of cancer every minute.
Given this statistics therefore, she said it had become necessary for constant check up in the hospitals for early detection which, according to her, would help reduce the number of deaths as a result of this disease.
Dr. Ekpo listed some of the symptoms of childhood cancer to include; unusual persistent pain and headaches, long lasting fevers, including low grade fever with or without vomiting, change of eye colour and whiteness in the eye, swelling in parts of the body, persistent constipation and or bellyache, persistent fatigue, among others.
She averred that for childhood cancer to be reduced significantly among children in Nigeria particularly, other foundations and NGOs must begin to turn their attention towards this menace.
The pediatrician also advocated for the establishment of a Childhood Cancer Research Centre in Nigeria, saying this would provide more information and knowledge to the country about new ways of tackling this disease.
Mrs. Theresa Chris Okorie, who shared her son’s experience of cancer disease, advised that for any child with cancer to survive and live a normal life, early detection was cardinal in all.
She therefore, urged parents to ensure that their children undergo regular check ups in the hospitals, to either prevent the disease or treat it at the early stage of development.
Participants in the awareness walk who spoke to The Crest expressed appreciation to Akanimo Cancer Foundation for turning it attention towards the disease and investing so much to ensure that children who were down with it were given support.
They however called on other NGOs in Nigeria to emulate Akanimo Cancer Foundation in creating awareness and supporting treatment of children who have cancer in the country.
Akanimo Cancer Foundation is a childhood cancer charitable organisation established in 2021 in memory of Akanimo Ekanem who died from cancer at the age of 12.
Consequently, the foundation was formed to tackle the lack of awareness with regards to childhood cancer; to support children and families going through this, and also to support research into more treatments and cure from cancer in children.
