Miria Obote managed to survive, thanks to early detection
I am 70 years old now and when you reach this age, you must have a few aches here and there. This, plus the pressure that comes with my work as the president of UPC, can wear out even the toughest of women. But I am grateful to the almighty God who has kept me healthy.
One of the times I came face to face with death was in 1997 when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It started like a joke. I was feeling good and healthy. I used to go for annual cancer check-ups, and the doctor would clear me as healthy, of course with the observation that I had put on a bit of weight.
Then one morning, I noticed something on my breast. It looked like a wrinkle. I wondered what it was. ‘Is it old age?’ I asked myself. Then I looked at the second breast and noticed it did not have a similar wrinkle. This got me thinking.
My first suspicion was cancer because two year prior to this, I had developed some lumps. However, the lumps had cleared after treatment. I rushed to the doctor and after some tests, the surgeon told me they had to operate on me immediately. I had breast cancer and it was spreading very fast.
My biggest shock was that I had been in good health when all this happened. There was no sign whatsoever, except that little wrinkle which I could have missed. The problem with cancer is that it is a silent killer. You can have it and feel absolutely nothing until it has eaten you up. This is exactly what happened to me. I was given a clean bill, yet I still went to the operation table.
I had the operation within the next few days. It was a very traumatic experience.
My only consolation was that the cancer had not eaten up the whole breast, so I lost only half of it. They removed all the surrounding tissues and cut away one lymph node. Although I did not like the idea of not having a breast, I knew it was much better than dying with both breasts intact.
After the operation, I went through chemotherapy for three weeks. That was the hardest part of the treatment. I was very ill during the first week, throwing up all the time and too weak to do anything for and by myself.
I improved during the second week. The hird week saw me getting better.The first thing I wanted to do on recovery was to visit my husband, the late Apollo Milton Obote, who was living in Zambia at the time. He, however, discouraged me because I was still under intensive treatment.
I remained a patient for the next five years. I have now healed although I still have to see the doctor for monitoring just to rule out any possibilities of more attacks.
I thank God every single day because I am a breast cancer survivor. Some other ladies who underwent the same treatment did not survive. That is why I think God has given me the bonus of living to this age. All I suffer from now are joint pains which you cannot avoid as you grow old. Otherwise, I am alright, especially after everything else I have gone through as a politician’s wife.
Looking back, I think I can shoulder anything now. Some people said I was dying during the presidential campaigns last year because they did not know that I had gone through worse times. That is why I continued with my campaigns even after I lost my voice.
I never stayed in bed for even one day, although I admit that the hot and dusty weather affected me. When they said one presidential candidate was going to die, people pointed at me and said: “That one. After all, she is the oldest.” They were surprised that I did not die.
My advice to women is that they should check their breasts from time to time, even when they are feeling healthy. It is possible to have cancer without knowing it. I know one woman who died without knowing she had it. The young should know they too can get cancer. In fact, one of my physician’s youngest patients was a 14-year-old girl. Please young ladies, do not lie back and say ‘I am young. I cannot get cancer.’ Whether you are 14 years or 30 years, please check your breasts at home, at all times, because you are at risk. The good news is that the earlier you detect it, the higher your chances of survival.
