by Ejidiah Wangui
NAIROBI, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Six months ago, Kenya's Joyce Ndanu received the worst news ever -- her doctor confirmed she had breast cancer.
Having lost her mother and aunt to breast cancer, Ndanu had long harbored the fear she could be next in her family and as fate would have it, the disease sadly caught up with her.
Speaking to Xinhua in a recent interview, Ndanu narrated how she lost her confidence after the reality of losing one of her breasts sank in.
"There were days I could lock myself in my home as most of the visitors couldn't hide their shock after seeing what the drugs and the chemotherapy had left on me.
"The situation became even harder as dressing up after losing a breast isn't easy, I could stuff in cotton wool and foam into my bra but it couldn't work," she recalled.
It was after going through this experience that Ndanu embarked on a search for a remedy to her problem.
During one of her searches online, she came across knitted knockers and after watching a few clips on how they are made, she gave it a shot and made herself one.
The knitted knockers are very light and more comfortable compared to what has been available. Ndanu has since resigned from her work as an early childhood education teacher and ventured into knitting knockers to help other breast cancer survivors.
So far, she has made over 20 knockers which she has already given out. She hopes her venture will go a long way in making life meaningful again for the cancer survivors.
"Breasts are such an intimate and crucial part of any woman, so when the sad reality hits that you will live for the rest of your life without one, you are bound to lose confidence and self-esteem. I know this first hand having gone through this harsh experience after the mastectomy," she told Xinhua.
What saddens the 36-year-old mother of two is the sudden rise in the number of breast cancer cases in her small village on the outskirts of Nakuru town, some 160 kilometers northwest of capital, Nairobi.
According to Ndanu, for the last three years, the village has lost six women to breast cancer. There are those like her who have eluded death but have to live with scars that define their femininity for the rest of their lives.
"I'm now on a mission beyond making the knockers. I will educate my village people on the importance of having a checkup every year. Some of the women didn't even know they died of what, which is very sad," she said.
Though still new in this, Ndanu hopes her initiative will help breast cancer survivors live a fulfilled life like they used to before undergoing mastectomy.
The tale of Irene Nyambura, another cancer survivor, is not much different from that of Ndanu. Having lost one of her breasts to cancer a year ago, she recalled how hard it was for her to interact with people again.
A prosthetic she had gotten from her doctor helped a bit but it was hard as it kept slipping out of position especially when it was hot.
"I had to keep rushing to the bathroom to return it to the right position which was not interesting. I later discovered the knitted knockers. I got mine from a group known as Limau Cancer Connection in Nairobi," said Nyambura.
According to Nancy Githoitho, the brain behind Limau Cancer Connection, her mission is to brighten the lives of breast cancer survivors. Having lost her own mum to the disease, she said the stigma associated with the disease is equally painful as the disease itself.
"My mum lost almost 10 kgs in a week after the diagnosis, most of her friends were not supportive, and she died after one year. Her pain and the stigma she faced prompted me to do something for women out there going through such a phase in life," Githoitho said.
Githoitho currently funds the business from her pocket. With some assistance also from a similar group in the United States, the Limau Cancer Connection has been able give out over 200 knockers to breast cancer survivors.
"We donate the knockers to Kijabe Hospital, a non-profit health facility 65 kilometers northwest of Nairobi where they are given out to low income women." she said.
Among all the cancers, breast cancer accounts for the highest number of deaths among women followed by cervical cancer.
