‘It Is Sad That Youths Now Have Cancer’
Delectable, six-feet tall
Funmilola James is the National Coordinator of Breast Without Spot. She
spoke with DEBO OLADIMEJI on what it takes to be a volunteer with the
Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) and how it is helping in cancer
prevention in Nigeria.
AGAINST the backdrop of the need to fight cancer that is becoming a global menace, Breast Without Spot was founded by Prof Ifeoma Okoye. The non-governmental organisation is spreading the news to ensure that the scourge is reduced, if not eradicated in Nigeria.
Funmilola James, the National Coordinator of Breast Without Spot is from a family of seven girls. Her mother, Funke Elizabeth James is from Ikenne, Ogun State. Her father, Olubiyi Olumunyiwa James is from Ondo State.
“My mother is a nurse with Lagos State Ministry of Health. My father is a retired civil servant,” she said.
James grew up in Lagos but attended Mayflower Secondary School in Ikenne. “I left Mayflower in 2001. I gained admission into Olabisi Onabanjo University to read Biochemistry in 2002.
“I finished from there in 2007. And I proceeded to University of Lagos College of Medicine, (UNILAG) to do a Master in Public Health. And now I am currently a volunteer with Breast Without Spot. It is a cancer advocacy NGO founded by Prof Ifeoma Okoye,” she said.
She laments that youths in their 20s are now having cancer. “A lot of environmental factors could be responsible for cancer. We inhale a lot of smoke and all the hazards. People don’t really exercise these days. The reason for obesity is that the energy intake and output are not balanced for such people. Which means that they are taking in more energy than they are burning out,” she said.
According to her obesity can cause cancer. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that the four major risk factors for the four most common non-communicable diseases (NCD) in the world are: chronic lung disease, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. They are caused by excessive alcohol consumption, smoking and physical inactivity among other factors.
Her sojourn in the NGO started in 2010 after she met Prof Okoye at International Cancer Week celebration in Abuja. “I just called her up that I am impressed with the passion she has for her profession. I told her that I would like to work as a volunteer for her NGO. That was how I joined the NGO,” she reminisced.
She soon discovered that the NGO had been on for quite a while but it did not have enough hands. “There was no funding and seemingly there was no way they could pay people to work for the NGO. I just said fine. I wouldn’t mind working with the NGO”.
“As a volunteer you don’t get salary at the end of the month. But somehow, God just has a way of meeting your needs. God is always my sustenance, source of strength and refuge. What keeps me going is my passion,” she said.
She added that Breast Without Spot is partnering with National Youth Corps (NYSC) to spread the need for cancer prevention during their community development programme (CDS).
“Every Thursday, they go out to do CDS. We have corps members in 27 states. What they do is to help us reach the people at the grassroots. Two of our corps members got award recently. They got plaques for their efforts as cancer advocates,” she said.
She said that they give banners to corps members to show people how to do breast examination for cancer. “We give them manuals. It is basically for them to teach people of the community where they are posted to how to prevent having cancer.
“They do call us that this is what they have found, what are they going to do about it. They often refer them to the nearest teaching hospital. Sometimes we refer them to some other NGOs to raise funding for treatment of people who have cancer,” she said.
She regrets that they don’t have statistics to back up most of their actions. “But the way we measure our outcome, is through the number of people we have been able to train or take the awareness message of cancer to. We have been able to get the awareness message to a lot of people in Nigeria. We have been able to train over 5,000 corps members in 27 states in Nigeria,” she said.
Since she lives in Lagos, she started coordinating the activities of the NGO from Lagos. The first programme she coordinated for the NGO was the World Cancer Day 2011.
She recalled that her love for preventive medicine started from the onset. She always looked for reasons to avoid having malaria or failing ill. “In the process, I found out that my actual passion was actually for preventive medicine, not curative medicine”.
Also she doesn’t like to see people get injured. “It was like wholesome. Public health is good for me. We do a lot of talking in public health. I know a lot about issues concerning cancer. It just flows naturally for me”.
She said that they are not treating any disease. “We only try to prevent them. We screen mainly for cancer, our 4by4 Plus concept which we do in collaboration with credible diagnostic centres, involves screening for the four most common NCDs”.
The screening for cervical cancer is done through Visual Inspection in Acetic Acid (VIA). A speculum is used to open the cervix of the woman, then acetic acid is sprayed over the cervix.
“This shows if there is any lesions in form of white patches which otherwise cannot be seen with the naked eyes,” she said.
James added that the clinical examination for breast cancer involves a health worker checking the breasts of a woman for possible signs of breast lumps. “This involves checking the appearance, shape, size, skin colour of the breast. Also, it involves feeling for presence or absence of breast lump. In the process, the health workers also teach women when and how to examine their breasts themselves”.
They also do blood pressure screening for hypertension with spygnomanometer. BMI (for obesity which is a risk factor for many non-communicable diseases) is done by measuring the height (metres) and weight (kg) of the individual, she said.
Her mother is one of her role models. She learnt a lot of things from her. “Then my father thought me endurance, independence, honesty. Career-wise, Prof Okoye is my role model. She has a genuine and sincere passion for her profession. She is also a model. I love the way she relates with her husband. It is something every woman should emulate”.
She recalled that while she was in Mayflower School, she learnt something called self-reliance.
“I think it used to be once in a year from Junior Secondary School (JSS) 1. It teaches us how to look inwards, to be proactive. They give you only garri, sugar and fish. You go to the bush. You learn how to survive on your own. We go there for a night with blanket, cutlass, cut palm kernel to survive on our own. It was fun. It taught us self-reliance, independence. What we can do for our country not what the country can do for us,” she said.
She recalled that it was interesting growing up in a family of all girls. “Sometimes, I wanted to watch a particular TV channel. My sisters wanted to watch another. Only my father wanted to watch CNN or Aljazeera”.
Her father is very loving but disciplinarian. “When I was younger, guys never came to our house. As a law, you don’t come to the James’ house. In the estate where we lived, they knew that. My father used to embarrass our boy friends. All those things made us very responsible young girls and to face our careers”.
She is happy that her siblings are all doing well. “A child is a child. Whatever a man can do, women can do as well. I don’t see how being a girl limits you in any way. I am going to get married soon. I am going to do a PhD in Public Health. I am going to be a cancer advocate. An advocate of healthy lifestyle”.
James disclosed that the first time she left Lagos was during her National Youth Service (NYSC) programme. “I was able to interact for with very good people from the Eastern part of the country. I met wonderful people,” she said.
AGAINST the backdrop of the need to fight cancer that is becoming a global menace, Breast Without Spot was founded by Prof Ifeoma Okoye. The non-governmental organisation is spreading the news to ensure that the scourge is reduced, if not eradicated in Nigeria.
Funmilola James, the National Coordinator of Breast Without Spot is from a family of seven girls. Her mother, Funke Elizabeth James is from Ikenne, Ogun State. Her father, Olubiyi Olumunyiwa James is from Ondo State.
“My mother is a nurse with Lagos State Ministry of Health. My father is a retired civil servant,” she said.
James grew up in Lagos but attended Mayflower Secondary School in Ikenne. “I left Mayflower in 2001. I gained admission into Olabisi Onabanjo University to read Biochemistry in 2002.
“I finished from there in 2007. And I proceeded to University of Lagos College of Medicine, (UNILAG) to do a Master in Public Health. And now I am currently a volunteer with Breast Without Spot. It is a cancer advocacy NGO founded by Prof Ifeoma Okoye,” she said.
She laments that youths in their 20s are now having cancer. “A lot of environmental factors could be responsible for cancer. We inhale a lot of smoke and all the hazards. People don’t really exercise these days. The reason for obesity is that the energy intake and output are not balanced for such people. Which means that they are taking in more energy than they are burning out,” she said.
According to her obesity can cause cancer. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that the four major risk factors for the four most common non-communicable diseases (NCD) in the world are: chronic lung disease, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. They are caused by excessive alcohol consumption, smoking and physical inactivity among other factors.
Her sojourn in the NGO started in 2010 after she met Prof Okoye at International Cancer Week celebration in Abuja. “I just called her up that I am impressed with the passion she has for her profession. I told her that I would like to work as a volunteer for her NGO. That was how I joined the NGO,” she reminisced.
She soon discovered that the NGO had been on for quite a while but it did not have enough hands. “There was no funding and seemingly there was no way they could pay people to work for the NGO. I just said fine. I wouldn’t mind working with the NGO”.
“As a volunteer you don’t get salary at the end of the month. But somehow, God just has a way of meeting your needs. God is always my sustenance, source of strength and refuge. What keeps me going is my passion,” she said.
She added that Breast Without Spot is partnering with National Youth Corps (NYSC) to spread the need for cancer prevention during their community development programme (CDS).
“Every Thursday, they go out to do CDS. We have corps members in 27 states. What they do is to help us reach the people at the grassroots. Two of our corps members got award recently. They got plaques for their efforts as cancer advocates,” she said.
She said that they give banners to corps members to show people how to do breast examination for cancer. “We give them manuals. It is basically for them to teach people of the community where they are posted to how to prevent having cancer.
“They do call us that this is what they have found, what are they going to do about it. They often refer them to the nearest teaching hospital. Sometimes we refer them to some other NGOs to raise funding for treatment of people who have cancer,” she said.
She regrets that they don’t have statistics to back up most of their actions. “But the way we measure our outcome, is through the number of people we have been able to train or take the awareness message of cancer to. We have been able to get the awareness message to a lot of people in Nigeria. We have been able to train over 5,000 corps members in 27 states in Nigeria,” she said.
Since she lives in Lagos, she started coordinating the activities of the NGO from Lagos. The first programme she coordinated for the NGO was the World Cancer Day 2011.
She recalled that her love for preventive medicine started from the onset. She always looked for reasons to avoid having malaria or failing ill. “In the process, I found out that my actual passion was actually for preventive medicine, not curative medicine”.
Also she doesn’t like to see people get injured. “It was like wholesome. Public health is good for me. We do a lot of talking in public health. I know a lot about issues concerning cancer. It just flows naturally for me”.
She said that they are not treating any disease. “We only try to prevent them. We screen mainly for cancer, our 4by4 Plus concept which we do in collaboration with credible diagnostic centres, involves screening for the four most common NCDs”.
The screening for cervical cancer is done through Visual Inspection in Acetic Acid (VIA). A speculum is used to open the cervix of the woman, then acetic acid is sprayed over the cervix.
“This shows if there is any lesions in form of white patches which otherwise cannot be seen with the naked eyes,” she said.
James added that the clinical examination for breast cancer involves a health worker checking the breasts of a woman for possible signs of breast lumps. “This involves checking the appearance, shape, size, skin colour of the breast. Also, it involves feeling for presence or absence of breast lump. In the process, the health workers also teach women when and how to examine their breasts themselves”.
They also do blood pressure screening for hypertension with spygnomanometer. BMI (for obesity which is a risk factor for many non-communicable diseases) is done by measuring the height (metres) and weight (kg) of the individual, she said.
Her mother is one of her role models. She learnt a lot of things from her. “Then my father thought me endurance, independence, honesty. Career-wise, Prof Okoye is my role model. She has a genuine and sincere passion for her profession. She is also a model. I love the way she relates with her husband. It is something every woman should emulate”.
She recalled that while she was in Mayflower School, she learnt something called self-reliance.
“I think it used to be once in a year from Junior Secondary School (JSS) 1. It teaches us how to look inwards, to be proactive. They give you only garri, sugar and fish. You go to the bush. You learn how to survive on your own. We go there for a night with blanket, cutlass, cut palm kernel to survive on our own. It was fun. It taught us self-reliance, independence. What we can do for our country not what the country can do for us,” she said.
She recalled that it was interesting growing up in a family of all girls. “Sometimes, I wanted to watch a particular TV channel. My sisters wanted to watch another. Only my father wanted to watch CNN or Aljazeera”.
Her father is very loving but disciplinarian. “When I was younger, guys never came to our house. As a law, you don’t come to the James’ house. In the estate where we lived, they knew that. My father used to embarrass our boy friends. All those things made us very responsible young girls and to face our careers”.
She is happy that her siblings are all doing well. “A child is a child. Whatever a man can do, women can do as well. I don’t see how being a girl limits you in any way. I am going to get married soon. I am going to do a PhD in Public Health. I am going to be a cancer advocate. An advocate of healthy lifestyle”.
James disclosed that the first time she left Lagos was during her National Youth Service (NYSC) programme. “I was able to interact for with very good people from the Eastern part of the country. I met wonderful people,” she said.
