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Tag: cancer awareness

  • DAYSTAR HEALTH AWARNESS WEEK

    The Daystar Compassion and Care Centre (DCCC) Health Awareness week which took place this October as from 7th to the 10th saw many students and staff show up to get tested for free.

    The Health Awareness week is a norm that takes place every once a semester for a week at Athi River and Nairobi campus. They take place around the same time in both campuses.

    For the Athi River campus, DCCC outsourced health practitioners from The Nairobi Women’s Hospital, Kitengela branch. Students showed up in numbers to get tested and know their health status.

    There were different stalls for different health departments including; optical, dental, general physician, height and weight, BMI, pressure and sugar/ diabetes. HIV/AIDS testing and counseling was also available for students.

    A law in Kenya was passed to make testing and counselling for HIV a private matter and a personal decision. Therefore the stall for HIV testing had to be secluded in a private space where nobody could eavesdrop or see the counselor or the patient. It took place in the DCCC offices.

    Students turned up in large numbers to test for HIV after the seclusion on the testing center. This is due to the fact that the testing center was secluded and therefore the privacy encouraged students to get tested.

    This was a strategic move by DCCC since over the years the HIV testing has always been done in the open and most of the time students did not show up due to fear and embarrassment.

    A student heading for check up at the tents


    Click here to find photos from the health awareness week and DC3 chapel

  • MEN GET BREAST CANCER TOO

    By Sharon Waithanji
    sharonwawaithanji@gmail.com

    Breast Cancer month is here. From 1st October to 31st October every year. It is symbolized with a pink ribbon. This movement is really effective with people learning how to make breast cancer known everywhere.

    There are easy methods which are taught during this time on how to check whether there are lumps in your breasts. There are also many cancer centres put up country wide that provide free screening of cancer. This not only increases awareness of breast cancer but also allows people to learn about the symptoms, preventions and treatment.

    One thing people fail to know is that breast cancer can also affect men. According to statistics by the National Breast Cancer Development Inc. only one percent of all breast cancer diagnosed is men. About 245,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women and 2,200 in men each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It said 41,000 women and 460 men die from breast cancer in the US annually.

    In most cases the breast cancer is diagnosed late. One factor in diagnosis delay is a lack of awareness. While many women know how to look out for changes that could indicate breast cancer, there is less awareness among men, which means they may be less likely to seek help in the early stages.

    The fact that both men and women are born with some breast cells and tissue. Even though males do not develop milk-producing breasts, a man’s breast cells and tissue can still develop cancer.

    The likely symptoms of the breast cancer in men are the same with the ones in females:
    • A lump in one breast, which is usually painless
    • Nipple retraction, ulceration, and discharge
    • Skin puckering or dimpling on the breast
    • Redness or scaling of the skin on the breast or nipple

    If the cancer spreads, there are advanced symptoms like:
    • Swelling in the lymph glands, in or near the underarm area
    • Breast pain
    • Bone pain

    The treatment for Male breast cancer is the same as the women’s so there are really high rates of survival are cure and solutions.

    Just last week, Singer Beyoncé Knowles’ father, Mathew Knowles revealed his fight with breast cancer. This should be a push to all men and a good reason to spread awareness.

    As we spread the Breast cancer awareness, let us not forget the men and make them aware it also affects them. Men get Breast cancer too.