Over 30, 000 People Join Tigo & BCI To �Walk for Cure� For Breast Cancer

Over 40,000 people including men, women and children joined Tigo Ghana and Breast Care International, BCI, to �Walk for Cure� for Breast Cancer in Sunyani, the Brong Ahafo regional capital. The 7 km walk started from the Residency, a suburb in Sunyani to the Jubiliee Park. Joining the support against the disease included Ghana�s former President, John Agyekum Kufour, and his wife Mrs Theresa Kufour, the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Eric Opoku and some traditional rulers. Former President John Agyekum Kufuor encouraged Ghanaians to desist from the over reliance on spiritualists for the treatment of breast cancer. �We must use science and technology to solve our problems and stop attributing everything to witchcraft. If you go to hospital for treatment, you have not broken the laws of God. Let�s stop being so spiritual on issues that science can solve,� he said. President of BCI, Dr. Beatrice Wiafe Addai, attributed the late presentation of breast cancer to ignorance, lack of education and awareness, myths and misconception about the disease. She emphasised it was the biggest barrier to early diagnosis and successful treatment. Dr Wiafe Addai thought it was about time to modify the �Susan G Komen Race for the Cure� to suit Ghana�s special needs and as a way of contributing to raising awareness about this disease affecting women, men and children in varying degrees. CEO for Tigo Ghana, Roshi Motman, said �With early detection and treatment, evidence from around the world demonstrates great hope for survival and for many years of healthy life. I have family and friends who have survived breast cancer and that was because it was detected early and they also had incredible support from those around them. �For Tigo Ghana we believe in this campaign because Breast cancer prevention is not only about educating and empowering women, supporting organisations such as Breast Cancer International, health workers and attitudinal change is essential�, she said. Dr Beatrice Wiafe Addai and her medical team followed up after the walk with a screening exercise for all female employees of Tigo at their headquarters on Barnes Road in Accra.