A diagnosis of breast cancer often marks the beginning of a long and uncertain journey. It is a journey filled with emotional challenges and physical battles.
For many, holding onto hope becomes the greatest fight. Winnie Mataya understands this journey well. Two years ago, she felt a sharp pain near her right rib.
“I remember the moment it caught my attention,” she says. “I decided to get screened for breast cancer.” She went for the test in October 2022. The results revealed an abscess on her right nipple and a swollen lymph node next to her ribs. She did a mammogram, and the doctors insisted on further testing. A biopsy was done on her nipple and lymph node. The results delivered devastating news: stage 2B breast cancer.
“When I heard that, my world crumbled,” she says. “I was devastated and cried endlessly. I started preparing for death, literally.”
On her first visit to the hospital, she met another patient, a moment that would change her life. “I met the late Winnie Bwire Ndubi during treatment,” Winnie says. “We became friends and shared our experiences. During our chemotherapy sessions, we supported each other.”
This friendship led Winnie to a gala dinner organised by the Bwire Ndubi Warriors Foundation, a gathering for cancer patients and their supporters. “That event transformed my perspective,” she says.
Winnie’s story is just one of many. Cancer foundations play a vital role in providing support and comfort.
Even as she mourns her daughter, Stella Auka continues to run the foundation. Established in 2022, the Bwire Ndubi Warriors Foundation advocates for prevention and provides support. “My daughter wanted to bring hope to patients,” Stella says.
Stella, a cancer survivor and having been her late daughter’s caregiver, says one of the Foundation’s core functions is navigation support for newly diagnosed patients.
“Many feel lost after their diagnosis,” Stella says. “They don’t know where to turn for treatment or how to access insurance like SHIF.” The foundation provides guidance, helping patients find oncologists and affordable treatments.
So far, they have assisted over 52 cancer patients directly. They now have over 200 members. “When a member is ill or passes away, we come together to provide support,” Stella says. “We rally around each other.”
One of their latest ventures is the Uzima Project which supports marginalised communities. “It began when a team member met a woman who walked to the hospital for chemotherapy,” Stella shares. “She couldn’t even afford water. That encounter inspired our feeding programme.”
Uzima Project provides food to 20 patients undergoing treatment. “Chemotherapy affects both healthy and cancerous cells,” says Winnie, the project coordinator. “Patients need proper nutrition to recover.”
Support groups also combat stigma, creating safe spaces for patients. Evans Machera, a follicular lymphoma survivor, is dedicated to supporting breast cancer patients. “Joining the Cancer Survivors Association of Kenya (CSAK) was life-changing for me,” he says.
CSAK started as a small group of survivors from Aga Khan University Hospital. Under the leadership of Prisca Githuka, the organisation advocates for cancer patients’ needs.
Prisca, a breast cancer survivor, celebrates 10 years in remission. “Survivors wanted their voices to be heard,” she says. “Our goal is to empower all patients.”
