A few years ago, a corp member serving in Pajat of Langtang North, Langtang Local Government Area, came to a Government School (Federal Government Girls College, Langtang) to educate girls about breast cancer.
She taught the students self-examination and in the process, came across this little girl in the community who was equipped with the skills to detect cancer early enough to be treated.
Ideally, mothers should teach girls but here is a girl with the knowledge to share with her mother and that little, tiny girl is DIRMICIT BINYIR PYENTAM.
Breast Cancer awareness is critical to me because I have a story and a family history.
MY STORY
On this fateful morning, sometime in March 2011, my mother was getting ready to go to work as usual. She called on me to hook her brassiere behind her, as that has become the tradition anytime her baby girl is at home. As I was doing that she told me she was feeling something like a beans size in one of her breast and I opted to help. I checked with my palm and I felt that it could be a lump and since i learnt about breast cancer Self examination in secondary school from that corp member who came all the way from the West, i could do it.
So she allowed me go through her breast and i felt a lump and I said “mummy, it’s Cancer oooo” even though i didn’t mean it when I said it was cancer, I did not expect cancer in our house. I thought breast cancer was for extremely rich women but my mother got scared and decided to go see a Doctor that Day. She went to Jos University Teaching Hospital, JUTH, Zamko, and was referred to JUTH Lamingo.
She underwent all the necessary test, scanning and it was diagnosed to be breast cancer. Our greatest nightmare began even though she was assured of regaining full health after undergoing surgery.
Plans were made to begin the surgery but other medical complications such as Diabetes, delayed the procedure as the blood sugar level was to high to be maintained at the arbitrary value before undergoing the cancer surgical procedure.
During the time frame in ensuring a lower blood sugar level, the cancer cells got metastasized (sprayed) to other parts of the body and organs.
To cut it short, cancer LOST and my mother WON on the 30th day of November, 2011.
JESUS GOT the VICTORY. I lost my mother to breast cancer in 2011.
What if I wasn’t aware of breast cancer?
What if I wasn’t aware of breast cancer self examination and screening?
Many women lived and died from breast Cancer without knowing.
Breast Cancer is said to be one of the most prevalent and principal cause of female mortality in the world.
The quest for equipping women with the knowledge to examine their breast, knowing that early detection is a key to surviving it, brought about TACAP initiative.
TACAP means
TArok
Cancer
Awareness
Project
WHO WE ARE
The Initiative is all about creating awareness on breast cancer, promoting early detection and treatment. To know that breast cancer is treatable if detected early and for women to be proactive about their breast health.
TACAP VISION STATEMENT
To have women living healthy and productive; free of breast cancer and related challenges therefore making a difference in the world.
TACAP MISSION STATEMENT
We are committed to educating and empowering women in rural communities with holistic knowledge and skills that promote early detection of breast cancer and healthy living thereby stomping out breast cancer in the world.
TACAP CORE VALUES
Our core values is captured as “TAROK” which simply means:
Timely detection
Awareness and advocacy
Relationship building
Opportunity for impact
Kindness and love
TACAP IS COMMITTED TO:
Education – Informing and empowering women to be proactive with their breast health.
Detection – Providing mammograms for women in need.
Support – Encouraging women diagnosed with breast cancer and connecting them with helpful resources
TACAP HASTAG
#StompOutBreastCancer
#EarlyDetection
#SavesLivesInTarokland
TACAP AMBASSADORS
Hon. Barr. Beni Butmak Lar
The member representing Langtang North/South constituency
Mr Malesh Joseph Bali
Hon. Pirtim Andrew Bali ( Andra)
Bavoshiya Gloria Nyan
Multiple cancer survivor, liver survivor, intestine survivor and stomach cancer and brain tumour fighter
ROLES OF TACAP AMBASSADORS
They represent TACAP Vision and are
Committed to the mission of TACAP.
They defend the need for affordable treatment of breast cancer while ensuring that medical research does not ignore women.
Link up women who have breast cancer with appropriate health care providers.
Provide financial support.
Counseling and Guiding patients through their treatment journey.
Provide psychological support.
THE MAIDEN EDITION
TACAP had its maiden edition on the 5th of October 2019, with a road walk that reached out to 250 persons in the morning. With the theme “Stomp Out Breast Cancer in Tarok land 2019,” TACAP held a seminar and self-examination and screening that reached out to 79 persons both male and female.
TACAP STRATEGIC GOAL
To reach out yearly to 2000 persons and train at least 200 women on breast cancer self-examination and screening.
MOTIVATION
Breast Cancer itself is the motivation for this Awareness. As long as the disease is still devouring and killing women, we are inspired and motivated to educate, inform and empower women to be proactive with their Breast Health.
We will encourage women diagnosed with breast cancer and connect them with helpful resources
OUR PASSION
Once a challenge concern Women, there will always be a passion for curbing the issue and it keeps growing unconsciously. No one should have to choose between surviving and living. Every woman deserves to live her worth, know her status and live to the fullest.
HOW DO WE MOBILIZE
We will basically mobilize women for awareness through their various places of worship and associations as we explore more effective options of mobilization.
HOW MANY PERSONS WERE REACHED
Altogether, 329 persons were reached during the October 2019 Campaign.
OUR SLOGAN
Know your status, live your worth
SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES:
Email: tacapochaworth@gmail.com
Facebook: Stomp Out Breast Cancer breast cancer campaign
Twitter: @InitiativeTacap
Instagram: @tacapinitiative
Tel: 080806555923
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Dirmicit Binyir Pyentam
Convener
07064298647