Breast Cancer and Prayer Camps: Faith with Wisdom. FINAL PRODUCTION

                                    WARNING: CONTAINS SENSITIVE MATERIAL

Breast cancer is the most common invasive cancer in women and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women after lung cancer. Advances in screening and treatment for breast cancer, have improved survival rates dramatically for decades now.

Early detection and management are key to fighting this killer. Countries that have made progress in this direction have been able to reduce the breast cancer mortality rate by 2 - 4% according to WHO.

Breast cancer: early stage
Source: Google

Breast cancer: late stage
Source: Google

However, in Ghana, the situation seems to be different, as some women tend to see church and prayer as a better option than hospital for the management of this pitiless killer.

Quite unexpectedly, the reason for such a choice is at times a firm faith in the effectiveness of prayer, but which fails to be anchored on wisdom.

Victoria Yeboah, a young Ghanaian woman says that, out of loyalty, she resorted to church when she discovered she had breast cancer. The disease, however, kept on spreading until she went to the hospital.

Victoria Yeboah

“As the pain kept on increasing, I went to the   hospital and I was then told I had breast   cancer, and if I had delayed it would have   developed to stage 2. Then I was stage 1”

This phenomenon, which is progressively gaining grounds, in Ghana, is a source of concern for medical practitioners. One of them, Dr. Nikki Yelipoe of the Royal Hospital in Accra, insists that going to the hospital in early stages of breast cancer is vital.

                                    Dr. Nikki Yelipoe, Royal Hospital - Accra

Men of God share a similar view. They consider breast cancer to be a physical condition that can have spiritual ramifications, or necessitate spiritual support. 

One of them, Prophet Alex Twum, leader of the Word Vision Chapel Int. advises his congregation members in the following terms: “The first time you have breast cancer, see your doctor first, then see your pastor… Don’t go and stay in prayer camps because of breast cancer, it’s a disease.”

Prophet Alex Twum, Leader of Word Vision Chapel Int.

Maybe it’s a physical thing, but still, you need prayer. Maybe it’s a spiritual thing, but still, you need medicine.

Prayer and medicine are not mutually exclusive. It is good to have faith, but wisdom demands to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s. The reference for any health issues is the hospital, and that is the first place any woman affected with breast cancer should go.

By Nadeen Mensah