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A mother of two adult daughters, the 46-year-old said she was not worried about the lump and actually joked about it with her husband.
It was only after three days that they both decided she should go and see the doctor.

Although the lump was not painful, they were curious to know what it was, though it never occurred to either one of them that she might have breast cancer.
“I only went to see my doctor so she could check the lump, but I never had any negative thoughts,” said Mrs Chiswo.

“Even when I was asked to go for tests, it just never occurred to me that my life was about to change. I never thought I would be diagnosed with breast cancer.”
In one month, Mrs Chiswo’s life took an unexpected turn as the doctor gave her the results of tests she had done.
“I was shocked when the doctor told me I had breast cancer, but I did not cry,” she said.
“I just took a deep breath and looked at the doctor as she explained everything.”

Mrs Chiswo, who had lost her father six months earlier due to liver cancer, said having her husband by her side during her time of need is what made her pull through.
The doctor referred her to the Cancer Centre, where (together with her husband) they were offered counselling in preparation for treatment.
She has been getting counselling and assistance with drugs from the centre, when available.

According to her, family support is very important, especially when one has been diagnosed with a disease like cancer, which she believes is still regarded as taboo in the Shona culture.
She said some women have been labelled “witches” because they have cancer and some people accuse those who suffer from cancer of “breastfeeding goblins”.
Mrs Chiswo said that even some of her white friends said cancer was not openly talked about and was only referred to as “the big C” in some of their communities.
What she found the most difficult was losing one of her breasts since she was “born with all her body organs intact”.
Again as a woman, she was naturally worried about how the removal of her breast would affect her husband.
“I was lucky because my family was really supportive, especially my husband,” said Mrs Chiswo.
“I don’t think I could have borne what I went through without the support he gave me.

“The problem drew us closer to each other. Even my relatives, people from church and workmates were supportive.”
Mrs Chiswo said she also found chemotherapy difficult as it has many side-effects.
She said: “Luckily I didn’t have to go through radiotherapy, but chemotherapy is tough because of the side-effects. “These range from hair loss, loss of appetite, vomiting, discolouring of nails, to mention just a few things”.

According to the Zimbabwe National Cancer Registry and Surveillance Registrar, Mr Eric Chokunonga, in Zimbabwe, breast cancer is the second most common cancer after cervical cancer.
A 2006 report (the latest) by the department shows that breast cancer accounts for 12,9 percent of all cancers in the country.
It is also the second most common cancer in white women affecting 23,8 percent, while skin cancer affects 44,6 percent of the same racial group.
Mr Chokunonga said: “The age group affected by breast cancer starts from 20 years going up.

“Because the country is largely black majority, more black women suffer from the disease than any other group.”
Mr Chokunonga said even men can have breast cancer.

“It is rare in men, but the chances are there. In 2006, we recorded 11 cases of men with breast cancer,” he said.
While early detection results in easier and successful treatment, Mrs Chiswo said treatment was very expensive in Zimbabwe.
She said that cancer was not being given the attention it deserves and, as a result, many people were losing lives unnecessarily.
Mrs Chiswo urged the Government to come up with a fund or levy like that of Aids so that people can access treatment, especially those in the rural areas who have very limited funds.
She said she has used over US$8 000 for treatment and feels she is lucky because she is employed, has the support of her husband and is on medical aid.
“The treatment is too expensive and many people just give up hope and wait for death to come,” said Mrs Chiswo.

“There are so many tests to be done and surely people need assistance. Yes, things are difficult, but something can be done if people are committed to helping others.”
Since last year, she has had three chemotherapy sessions, each one costing US$1 000.

Mrs Chiswo emphasised the need to raise awareness, so that people do not look at cancer with fear.
“People need to open up and speak freely about cancer because it is just like any other disease and can be treated,” she said.
“We need television and radio programmes so that people know all there is to know.”
Cancer Centre head of clinic Mrs Tsitsi Maravanyika said women needed to self-examine their breasts at least every week.
This, she said, will enable early detection, which will, in turn, result in early treatment.

She said some women feel the lumps in their breasts when bathing and very few complain about pains.
“Doctors rarely ever ask women to do tests, so we are saying it is the duty of a woman to check her breasts at all times, even from puberty, just to be on the safe side,” said Mrs Maravanyika.
Dr Anna Nyakabau, an oncologist, said the major problem in Zimbabwe was that most patients only sought treatment during the advanced stages of the disease.
This, she said, resulted in treatment being too expensive, as more needs to be done and at times treatment is difficult.

Dr Nyakabau said there was a serious lack of awareness, adding that people generally have a negative attitude towards breast cancer.
“Cancer is everyone’s responsibility, it’s multisectoral and is relevant to all of us as a nation,” said Dr Nyakabau.
“It’s not an individual’s duty, so there is need for all of us to put our heads together and work in unison.
“If we emphasise on early detection and treatment, it will result in more resources for the patients.

“We can have all the resources we want, but these will not matter if people are not educated enough about the disease.”
Dr Nyakabau said although there was an acute shortage of pathologists, there have been some encouraging signs in the fight against breast cancer.
Treatment includes surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

With October being the Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it remains to be seen what activities are in place to spread the campaign on the issue.
There is a need for more awareness, especially with the purpose of ensuring that there is an early detection of breast cancer.