Ministry of Womam is Making Strides Against Breast Cancer - Part 2. By Sofonie Dala, Angola

  Churches are not oblivious to the critical situations that occur in the country

Part 2

The month of October couldn’t end without Lifting up with Luanda city turning pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 

The Seventh-day Adventist Church is making sure to spread breast cancer awareness in the wake of losing women to the deadly disease.

Interview with women who have already lost someone to breast cancer

Good afternoon mam!

Good afternoon.

What are you doing here?

We are running a religious campaign that encourages the fight against breast cancer.

Do you know someone who has been a victim of breast cancer?

Yes, I am very sad because this very dangerous disease that kills urgently, by chance also killed my neighbor. I recently lost a friend who suffered from this disease, she struggled a lot with it, but unfortunately last week she passed away.

She left me an emptiness and a very deep pain.

What a pity, what a pity!

This situation is very sad, we must reinforce the fight against breast cancer, because it is a disease that is killing many women.

Another additional interview

Good morning mam!

Good morning sister!

How did the march go?

Thank God it went very well.

Did you like the experience?

I really enjoyed this experience.

Do you know someone who has been a victim of breast cancer?

Not very well.

But did you march to motivate other women?

Yes, I marched to give strength to other women, and also to appeal for other women to be present next time, and also to invest in the walks to draw the attention of other sisters so that they join us.

Interview with the church pastor

Good afternoon brother!

Good Afternoon! Thank you.

Are you the pastor of this church?

Yes, I am the pastor of this church.

Could you explain a little about this event?

In fact this is a social event and also spiritual. As a Seventh-day Adventist Church, we are not oblivious to the situations that occur in our country.

We marched at the end of pink October to talk about "breast cancer" a very dangerous disease that sickens and silently kills many people.

Breast cancer is a disease that is currently killing many people including men, unfortunately many do not realize it because they have not had a routine consultation to know how their health status is going. And when they go to the doctor, unfortunately, it's too late, the disease is already worse.

That's why we are here with the youth and women to draw attention to society, which often thinks that churches are outsiders in solving the problems that occur in the country. We're on the lookout.

That is why we have come to awaken and sensitize society that we must be aware of this disease that silently sickens and kills many people.

As God's people, we are the people of health and light; We must bring light to the world, because in 3 John 1:2 the bible says that: Beloved, I pray that in every way you may prosper and enjoy good health, as your soul also prospers.

So this is our goal. Jose Augusto Manuel is my name. Thank you!

The full long march

In case you missed the first part of the program click here:

1. https://she-leads.blogspot.com/2022/11/saying-goodbye-to-pink-october.html

2. Portuguese version: https://noticia-portugues.blogspot.com/2022/11/dizendo-adeus-ao-outubro-rosa-marcha-de.html

REMEMBERING HOW WE OBSERVED BREAST CANCER MONTH LAST YEAR

It was exactly 1 year ago that we interviewed Josefa who was taking care of her mother who was fighting breast cancer with all her strength. Unfortunately, Josefa lost her mother in October 2022. The mother left a void and a deep pain in the heart of her family, neighbors and friends.

Good afternoon!

How are you?

I'm fine thanks!

Please introduce yourself.

I am Josefa Pedro.

OK Josefa, thank you so much for being with us!

Could you tell us how breast cancer has affected your life and the life of your family?

It was a very difficult thing for us. My mother has always been a very dynamic woman, having to discover this disease at 41 years of age, as she was young, this was very difficult.

So I had to walk with her, follow the whole process, and it's something very exhausting, not only for the person who has the disease but for the people close to her as well.

How long did your mother carry this disease?

We had intensive treatment for a year. we did the consultations, then the medical operation was performed, and she spent 3 to 6 months undergoing chemotherapy.

When was breast cancer discovered in your mother?

This disease was discovered in 2019, between June - July. As soon as we discovered the cancer, we immediately went to the oncology center at the Maria Pia hospital, where we started the treatment.

How is her condition now?

She is currently doing well, she continues to undergo the treatment but on the basis of pills. Every 6 months she has a check up to ensure that no other abnormalities have developed in her body.

What is the appeal you would give to other girls facing this disease, and for those who are shy to ask for help?

First of all, women must self-examine themselves.

For those like me who already have a case of this in their family, from 25 years of age onwards, they should start having a mammogram, to find out if there is an indication. When the cancer is in the early stage it is still possible to treat, but unfortunately some women only discover it in the advanced stage when it is too late to do anything.

Was your mother's tumor removed?

Yes, thank God!

Click here to learn more about Josefa: 

https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2021/10/breast-cancer-slowdown-campaign-with.html

The dark side of cancer. In-depth interview - very sentimental

Our second interviewee who had also lost her mother to breast cancer, the year 2022 counts the second year since the death of her mother, she is gradually coming to terms with the pain and learning to live without a mother who will always live in her heart.

Good evening!

Please introduce yourself!

My name is Lina Comboio. Sofonie, thank you for inviting me on your show to talk about breast cancer. I support this program.

I am happy to participate on the 22nd of October, which marks breast cancer worldwide.

Well, the world was marked on October 19, 2021, and Angola was not left out, so we are here to continue this movement!

Lina, can you tell me how breast cancer affected your family's life?

Yes, I am here to make my contribution.

Was there anyone with this disease in your family?

Yes, cancer entered my family in a very mysterious and very silent way. Cancer affected my mother's health. Cancer took my mother with it.

There are two types of cancer, benign and malignant. Unfortunately my mother had malignant tumor, which had no way of doing surgery other than undergoing chemotherapy procedures.

When was this disease discovered in your mother?

The disease was discovered 2 years ago, and she lived with this disease for 2 years.

How did the family react?

We react very badly. In the beginning we didn't know what it was or the cause of the disease. We couldn't tell if it was cancer, pneumonia or tuberculosis. There were moments of great anguish, we were all afflicted and depressed. It was a very sorry situation.

Was the first treatment she had appropriate for this disease?

It was not an appropriate treatment for cancer because the doctors thought it was tuberculosis. They prescribed lots of medication that only made her situation worse. She went to a sanatorium hospital where tuberculosis was wrongly diagnosed, the doctors gave her lots of pills for her to take but it made her very sick and it didn't improve her health at all.

So we decided to take her to the military hospital to see what's really going on with my mother. In this hospital it was discovered and diagnosed that she had Cancer. She was hospitalized there and after a while she was transferred to oncology hospital of Angola-Maria Pia.

How long did you fight the disease?

We fought for 2 years. Unfortunately she didn't resist.

She passed away? When?

Unfortunately she didn't make it and died this year, 2 months ago.

It is a very big loss.

Yes, it was a very strong loss. Which so far I haven't gotten over it and I don't know when I'll get over it, this is so sad, very sad indeed. Sometimes we lose something but mother's love is very strong, we can't get over it when we lose mother's love. I'm very sad, I don't like to remember this.

Click here to learn more about Lina: https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2021/10/breast-cancer-slowdowncampaign-with_24.html

Galeria

Flismina enchanting with a special anthem

Global food import bill to jump to record $1.9 trillion: FAO

 Global spending on food imports is expected to rise to record levels in 2022 due to the strong dollar and the Russia-Ukraine war.

The world food import bill is expected to surpass $1.9 trillion in 2022, a 10 percent increase compared with last year’s record level, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has said.

The figure, released in a report (PDF) on Friday, marks “an all-time high” due to the depreciating values of currencies against the US dollar – the main currency of exchange on international markets – as well as Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.

“The bulk of the increase in the [global food import] bill is accounted for by high-income countries, due mostly to higher world prices, while volumes are also expected to rise,” the report said.

Consequences will be more dramatic for economically vulnerable countries, it added.

“For instance, the aggregate food import bill for the group of low-income countries is expected to remain almost unchanged even though it is predicted to shrink by 10 percent in volume terms, pointing to a growing accessibility issue for these countries,” the FAO said.

Sub-Saharan Africa, already hard-hit by malnutrition, is expected to spend $4.8bn more on food imports, despite a decrease in volumes.

“These are alarming signs from a food security perspective,” FAO said.

Russia and Ukraine together accounted for 30 percent of the world wheat trade and 78 percent of sunflower oil exports before Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour on February 24. The ongoing conflict has caused grain prices to spike.

The opening of a secure maritime corridor has allowed more than 10 million tonnes of agricultural products to leave Ukraine in recent months, leading to a cautious decline in market prices.

Another easing factor is that world wheat production “should reach a record level of 784 million tons in 2022/23”, the FAO said, driven in particular by the Russian and Canadian crops.

But other factors are weighing heavily on the balance of poor importing countries, warns the FAO, like the global import bill for agricultural inputs.

In particular, fertiliser imports are expected to reach $424bn in 2022, a nearly 50 percent increase compared with the previous year.

Russia is one of the world’s leading exporters of gas and nitrogen fertilisers, and prices have tripled in one year.

“As a result, some countries may be forced to reduce input applications, almost inevitably resulting in lower agricultural productivity and lower domestic food availability,” the FAO said.

It also warned of “negative repercussions for global agricultural output and food security” in 2023.

In the 2022-23 season, the agency sees wheat production jumping 0.6 percent year-on-year to a record 784 million tonnes, but notes increases are expected mostly in China and Russia, leaving inventories down 8 percent in the rest of the world.

Production of coarse grains like corn, barley and sorghum is meanwhile seen falling 2.8 percent in the season.

On the plus side, however, the FAO said oilseeds output is seen rebounding 4.2 percent to hit an all-time high, sugar output is seen rising 2.6 percent, while rice output is expected to remain at overall average levels, in part due to resilient plantings in Asia and recovering output in Africa.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES

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