TOUCHING! Nursing Student Battling Cancer Shares Her Story

While a finalist at a nursing college in Kabale, Annet started feeling that something was not quite right with her. The hills of Kabale that were once an ease climb were becoming increasingly difficult to climb. She also started to notice dark patches under her skin that resembled bruises. Her friends were convinced she had bumped into something and probably had not paid attention when it happened. When the fatigue and dark patches increased and other symptoms cropped up, she decided to pay her doctor a visit. A doctor at Kabale Hospital suggested it was stress from the upcoming exams and recommended she try to relax more. She returned to college but did not feel any better; the symptoms were getting worse. She developed swellings in the corners of her mouth and her immune system was very low. After several visits to Kabale Hospital, a complete blood count was performed and the results showed some abnormalities. She was immediately referred to Mulago Hospital and had to endure the panic in an emergency ambulance ride from Kabale to Kampala.

Using the simplest of terms, she endeavored to explain the gravity of her situation. She said that a normal person would have a platelet range of anywhere between 150 and 450, she only had 5 and she was also found to have no white blood cells at all.

By the time she got to Mulago Hospital she was bleeding uncontrollably from the nose and mouth and everywhere. Being treated at Mulago Hospital as an emergency case, she had to have a blood transfusion every three days because of the rate at which she was losing blood. After several tests the diagnosis was confirmed as Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia. Some consolation came from her doctor who reassured her that her type of Leukemia was curable otherwise the news of a cancer diagnosis came as a shock, not only to her, but her family and friends. She sat back and always prayed to God to heal her.

She was referred to the Uganda Cancer Institute where her treatment for ‪#‎cancer‬started and is still ongoing. Her cancer treatment has been very expensive because some of her drugs like the vesanoid capsules have had to be imported from Germany, as they are not available in ‪#‎Uganda‬ or anywhere in East Africa.

“Little had I ever thought at one moment I would battle with such a deadly disease”, she says, “It was a trying moment for me, my family and friends. My mum had to sell our home to pay for the medical expenses and has since moved back upcountry. Healthwise, I feel much better now and was declared disease free in July last year. However, the Doctors have advised that I complete my dosage which means I will take my last dose of treatment in October 2017. I thank my doctors and nurses who have worked tirelessly to see me through; my parents, my boyfriend and not forgetting my God.”

“At first I used to keep my disease a secret but after some time I realised i needed to share it with those that are depressed and to bring hope to life. I just want anyone suffering to know that cancer does not have to be a death sentence, we just have to know our bodies better. It helped that I was training to be a nurse, so I could tell something was not right with my body. No one around me thought I would survive. The news of Leukemia was a scare to everyone around me. Initially, my hair loss and red eyes were such a bother to me but after sometime you realize that worrying about such trivialities is pointless”.

Despite her struggles with cancer, Annet has to struggle with the issues of the real world too. Managing to successfully complete and pass her nursing exams, she has to face the struggle of finding employment. It has not been easy but she does what she has to do and has sent out applications in the hope that she gets a positive response to help ease the financial burden that cancer can create.

Asked whether she needs to give time for her body time to recuperate before she goes out into the corporate world, she chuckled and said, “I cannot allow cancer to continue affecting my life. I need to keep busy, I need to keep my mind off cancer, otherwise it will destroy more of me and continue to affect my family”.

Asked where her strength comes from to talk about her story in such a calm and jocular manner, she said, “my strength comes from God”.

Battling with cancer can be tough. This ‪#‎worldcancerday‬ let us pledge to give support to ‪#‎cancerpatients‬ like Annet. We wish her all the best as she completes her treatment and hope God continues to give her the strength to win.