Tinu LAWAL is an inspirational blogger, a film editor, photographer, Prod/Director of ABSOLUTELY VIVID LIMITED, a media solutions & consultancy company (1998 till date), a cancer survivor, an optimist whose cancer foundation is a modest contribution to the awareness of cancer, a disease that has assumed the dimension of a scourge in the world, particularly in Nigeria & other developing countries of the world.
It is a genuine affectionate feeling for the suffering of thousands of Nigerians suffering the disease, who develop the disease & out of ignorance, fright, negligence, poverty, carefree culture of regular medical checks, and report the disease only too late.
Tinu is the first in a family of five; she attended Christland Nursery & primary school (1977-79) before moving to Ilupeju primary school (1979-85), when the then governor Lateef Jakande threatened to scrap all private schools in Lagos. Her secondary education, Maryland Comprehensive Secondary School (1985-91) she moved to Ogun state Polytechnic to study Mass communication (1993-98), after her HND, she gained admission to University of Port-Harcourt to pursue her post graduate degree in Marketing (1999-2000).
A radio broadcaster, broadcasting the then, 7pm news program ‘Global Focus’ at Radio Lagos (1995/96) under the auspices of Mr Yinka Adagun now GM Lagos traffic Radio & Mr. Tokunbo Ojekunle, GM Radio continental. That same year, she also had a stint with LTV 8 newsroom under the guidance of Mrs Funke Moore, now GM of LTV 8.
A one time, Miss NYSC Bayelsa state 1998/1999. A mother of 2 lovely & well behaved teenagers, passionate about Media, Fashion & Healthy living, born on the 6th of April.
After Her diagnosis of cancer in 2014, she decided in 2016, to dedicate her time to educating, campaigning, motivating & supporting cancer patients & the general public’s health.
She started her blog (www.f-youcancer.blogspot.com) in Oct. 2016, after her treatment, Went on all the social media, TV, radio & newspaper to share her experience & then started her foundation
ATINUKE CANCER FOUNDATION which is also known as LET’S KILL IT! Cancer foundation in Dec. 2016, by initiating the first ever End of year party/support award for cancer patients and their care-givers at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). Since then, the event became an annual ceremony every end of year.
The idea of the event is to give hope and show love to cancer patients as she believes “when love is shown to invalids, it can speed up their recovery or elongate their life span. She has since then held several cancer campaign events. this foundation ended year 2017 with a 3 day event tagged “5km fitness walk challenge” to support cancer patients and their care givers, and it gathered the likes of Honorable Desmond Elliot, Honorable Babatunde Sofola (Chairman, Kosofe local government), Mr. Yemi Sodimu, Tinu Lawal (founder of the foundation, a cancer survivor herself), Police escort, Lastma escort, Well equipped ambulance, Bet9ja crew, Dressence crew, Jobelyn crew, Staff of kosofe local government and many others who participated in walking with them.
In preparation for another walk in surulere coming up on the 24th February 2018 by 7am @ Teslim Balogun stadium, she spokes exclusively with the City People’s Assistant Editor SUNDAY ADIGUN on how she survived cancer in 2014, and how her foundation is ready to create more awareness about Cancer.
Let me start by congratulating you for the success of last year 5km fitness challenge event.
Thank you very much.
Without wasting much of your time, how did you survive cancer 4years ago?
I would say it’s by the grace of God; I used to say this, early detection is very key in the treatment of cancer. Everyone should adopt the culture of screening and checking their health occasionally and especially once they attain the age of 40.
The whole story began in 2014, when I noticed a small growth underneath my breast, and so without wasting time and out of curiosity, I quickly went to the hospital and the doctor said they will conduct a pathology test for me which they did, the result came out lo and behold it was indeed positive.
How did you feel on hearing the result was positive and what went through your mind at that moment?
I had tears flowing down my face, on receiving the pathology test result in November, 2014. And to crown it all the discovery was around the time Ebola was diagnosed in Nigeria, so I decided to wait and I waited till when Nigeria was certified Ebola free before I had the first surgery, that was 3 months after I discovered, because I said to myself “nothing on earth was going to make me go near any hospital since it was reported that Ebola started from the hospital in Lagos. My thought at that time was “Olorun maje nsare taxi lo kolu trailer, lol…!
Meaning God protect me from being hit by a trailer while I’m avoiding a taxi”my brother If truly life has a ‘pause, play, forward, rewind and stop button’, then the “pause” button was a hit for me. Humanly speaking, I was confused, I was depressed. I said to myself no one in my family has had cancer.
The closest is a maternal grand aunt whom we lost in the 80’s. So I started praying, “God enough is enough. You are going to do it, you are going to cure me by miracle or do it however and whenever you want to do it, I trust you and I’m not going to bother my head again, I’m just going to act like I never knew a thing and you are going to keep and protect me till whenever I can get help or treatment.
I will just wait till i get out of Nigeria and get treatment abroad, Right now I’m going to live my life cause that’s all I ever wanted. I even said ‘F’ You Cancer, you can’t take my joy, you can’t stop my life, you won’t take me from my loved ones, you won’t take my destiny, you won’t take my future, my children won’t be motherless, and I’m going to live my life”.
These were my prayers then, these were exactly my words by April 2015, you know I can’t discuss with anybody, I won’t be able to cope with any stigmatisation or unnecessary sympathy. Ignorant as i was of the risk i was taking by delaying treatment, until later I had the courage to pull myself out of depression which I plunged into since November 2014 when I got the pathology result.
So what happens aftermath, were you expecting some kind of miracle?
Let me say yes, I was expecting miracle to happen, but you know Cancer diagnosis can be such a devastating moment in one’s life, though I still thank God, for He chose to listen and truly preserved my life.
Because I actually took so many things for granted, firstly there was no money, secondly I insisted I won’t go to any hospital in Nigeria, because I know the state of some of our hospitals, indeed I would say God heard my prayers, for He did not allow the cancer to spread beyond repair before I made up of my mind,
So I went for the chemotherapy. During my chemotherapy, a couple of people I came in contact with noticed my black nails and black palms you know effects of chemotherapy, but guess what, a lot didn’t understand what it was. Apart from losing weight, I never looked sick, because I wore my wig and applied make up whenever I had to go out.
I kept hearing you’re doing a good job working out, questions like “where did you dip your hands into? Why do you have laali that Hausa nail polish on your nails? Do you now cook with charcoal, why are your palms and nails so black?” so many questions like that probably because, they have never seen or been close to anyone who is on chemotherapy, or God just decided to keep it away from them.
And today, to God be the glory, I’m a survivor, here I am today bouncing, as a matter of fact you won’t even know that I’ve gone through such trauma.
As a survivor, tell me your own definition of cancer?
In my own definition, cancer is that unwelcome caller, a friendly-enemy, (a cell in the body) who may come uninvited to cause unhappiness, sadness, depression, fright, grief, weakness, aches, deformity, poverty, destruction and even death.
This kind of despicable caller is an enemy who should never be handled with kid’s gloves. One must reject, disallow, exclude, reprobate, eliminate and even kill it.
But according to Professor Aderemi T. Ajekigbe, Head of Oncology and Radiotherapy, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, idi araba Lagos, in his inaugural lecture series 2015, ‘Cancer is the Unwanted guest that may visit’ It is no respecter of age, gender, status, religion, tribe or color e.t.c
It is known as Jejere in Yoruba, Chiwo daji in Hausa, Oya-turu-ahu in Igbo language.
It is represented by the crab because of its ability to move in any direction. It is an increasingly common problem. By 2030s onward, it is likely that one in two of the global population will develop the disease at some point mainly due to an increasingly aging population.
The treatment of cancer is therefore a vital component of modern health care provision.
Like all complex systems, cell growth control can go wrong, resulting in the loss of normal territorial restraint, producing a family of cells that can multiply indefinitely, But it is not just the local growth of tumor cells that makes them so lethal. It is their ability to spread directly through invasion and by metastasis to other sites of the body. It is this spread that begins the plethora of clinical problems. Just as no two individuals are the same, we can only make some broad generalizations from clinical experience.
But I would like to say this, your attitude towards its visit and readiness to repel it goes a long way in combating it. Firstly, be true to yourself, do not live in denial, be strong, take control and take charge.
It’s your life and only you can determine who wins the battle. May cancer never find its way to any of our lives, may a cure for cancer be found soon, may cancer be totally eradicated from the world, may God grant the families who have lost their loved ones, the fortitude to bear the loss, may families with case of cancer be happy again and for everyone reading this, may satanic oppression and premature death not supersede us or be our portion, Amen!
What were the factors or strategies that helped you out?
I have said it earlier that early detection is the key, it’s important to remember that early diagnosis and treatment is the most important factor in surviving cancer. The earlier your stage of cancer is at the time of diagnosis and treatment, the greater the likelihood of curative treatment. Goals of treatment are to shrink or destroy the tumor, reduce the risk of recurrence, relieve symptoms, improve quality of life, prolong life, and, whenever possible, to cure cancer.
But I must confess to you, two of my survival strategies which I used along with unwavering faith in God are POSITIVE ENERGY and BOLDNESS.
I wish I equipped myself with enough knowledge about cancer before it came but I give glory to God for choosing to save my life because I was just as ignorant. Sometimes they say “There’s bliss in ignorance, what you do not know, does not kill you” on the other hand, Knowledge is light, knowledge is power! CANCER IS NOT A DEATH SENTENCE
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