{"id":100698,"date":"2025-10-28T18:12:39","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T18:12:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=100698"},"modified":"2025-10-28T18:12:39","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T18:12:39","slug":"early-detection-saves-lives-dei-foundation-champions-breast-cancer-awareness-in-rural-ghana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=100698","title":{"rendered":"Early Detection Saves Lives: Dei Foundation champions breast cancer awareness in rural Ghana"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Her voice trembled, but her message was strong.<\/p>\n

Marcelyn stood before a crowd at Atoklokope in the Ketu South Municipality, her eyes glistening with tears as she shared the painful story of her younger sister, Lydia, a 37-year-old new mother who lost her life to breast cancer just months after childbirth.<\/p>\n

Lydia\u2019s story began with joy. On May 25, 2025, she welcomed a baby boy, her first child. But soon after, her joy turned to agony as she experienced unusual swelling and pain in one breast. Doctors later confirmed her worst fear at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital: breast cancer.<\/p>\n

By the time of diagnosis, it was already too late. Despite rounds of chemotherapy and referrals between Ridge Hospital and Madina Polyclinic, Lydia passed away on October 11, 2025, just five months after giving birth.<\/p>\n

\"Early<\/figure>\n

\u201cShe didn\u2019t know early that it was breast cancer,\u201d Marcelyn said, her voice breaking. \u201cMany women take advice from others and rely on traditional medicine instead of going to the hospital. By the time they realise it\u2019s too late. That\u2019s how my sister died.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her grief has now become a mission, a call for women everywhere to seek early screening.<\/p>\n

It was in this spirit that the Dei Foundation, in partnership with St. Anthony\u2019s Hospital, Dzodze, organised a free breast cancer and health screening in Atoklokope under the theme \u201cScreen to Save a Life.\u201d<\/p>\n

The outreach, part of Pink October, the global month for breast cancer awareness, brought together hundreds of residents for free breast and prostate cancer screening, blood pressure checks, malaria and hepatitis testing, as well as NHIS registration and renewals.<\/p>\n

\"Early<\/figure>\n

For the Dei Foundation, the campaign is about bringing healthcare closer to those who need it most.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are here to educate and screen women,\u201d said Xornam Favour Ignatius-Dei, the Foundation\u2019s Public Relations Officer. \u201cIt\u2019s Pink October, and our goal is to remind every woman that early detection saves lives. But we cannot do it alone \u2014 we need the support of NGOs, corporate bodies, and individuals to reach more communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Health experts at the event warned that breast cancer is becoming increasingly common in Ghana.<\/p>\n

Clement Dodzi Banya, an oncology specialist from St. Anthony\u2019s Hospital, shared sobering statistics:<\/p>\n

One in every eight women is likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime.<\/p>\n

About 5,000 new cases are recorded annually in Ghana.<\/p>\n

Half of those diagnosed die, largely due to late detection and financial hardship.<\/p>\n

\u201cBreast cancer is real \u2014 but it is also curable when detected early,\u201d Banya stressed. \u201cWe need to support our women, especially those who cannot afford treatment. Awareness is only the first step \u2014 access is the next.\u201d<\/p>\n

By the end of the exercise, about 500 people had been screened. Health officials detected five prostate cancer cases and four breast cancer cases, providing immediate referrals for further medical care.<\/p>\n

The Dei Foundation, known for its humanitarian and health-centred initiatives, continues to expand its outreach across Ghana. With a strong focus on women\u2019s health and community empowerment, the Foundation works through partnerships with hospitals and volunteers to make healthcare accessible to underserved communities.<\/p>\n

As the screening wrapped up and the sun set over Atoklokope, Marcelyn\u2019s story lingered in the hearts of many \u2014 a painful reminder that behind every statistic lies a mother, sister, or daughter whose life could be saved through awareness and timely action.<\/p>\n

For the Dei Foundation, this campaign is more than just a project. It is a promise \u2014 to keep turning pain into purpose, one screening at a time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"EarlyHer voice trembled, but her message was strong. Marcelyn stood before a crowd at Atoklokope in the Ketu South Municipality, her eyes glistening with tears as she shared the painful story of her younger sister, Lydia, a 37-year-old new mother who lost her life to breast cancer just months after childbirth. Lydia\u2019s story began with [\u2026]<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":100699,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4780,11428,10,9,1907],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-100698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breast-cancer","category-dei-foundation","category-politics","category-popular","category-regional"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=100698"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100698\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/100699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=100698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=100698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=100698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}