BY Idris Shehu
The Female Future Initiatives (FFI), a not-for-profit organisation focused on building suitable lives for young females and empowering women, has called on women to prioritise early check-ups to combat fibroid.
Fibroids are non-cancerous yet abnormal growths that can develop in a woman’s uterus during her childbearing years.
Speaking on Saturday, during a walk organised to raise awareness on fibroid in Lagos, Modupe Ayinde, founder of FFI, said many women are unaware of the symptoms and the complications that can emanate from it.
FFI is an NGO created in 2017, and it aims to empower and sustain the lives of young girls and women.
Ayinde said she is a fibroid survivor, and her story should inspire women to take early and decisive actions against the condition.
“I never knew I had the condition until my mother got sick in 2022. I visited her, and we were trying to revive her and I wanted to donate blood to her. I told them I was fit to donate blood to her, but tests revealed I could not do that. The results even showed that the quantity of blood she had was more than what I had,” she said.
“That’s why I am preaching to people. I am using myself to the women to let them know I went to the operation and survived it. If I can do it, you can also do it.
“We realise that a lot of people have died from fibroid, and a lot of people do not even know the symptoms of the condition. Some do not know the connection between fibroid and barrenness. So, we are telling people that fibroid is real and it is better to detect it early so that you can cure it before it leads to more complications.
“We are also telling men to tell their wives and sisters. We are engaging both men and women to get both genders to fight this condition.”
On her part, Lola Banks, a participant and another fibroid survivor, said women should embrace healthy lifestyles and exercise, adding that there is a fulfilling life on the other side of the condition.
“My case was delicate. When the fibroid started, it was growing inward rather than shooting out, but what made me know about it was heavy flow. Eventually, we had to do the surgery. The time frame between my section and surgery was less than one month. And I already had complications with my kidney and liver, but to God be the glory.
“We are here to create awareness to let women know that fibroid is not a death sentence, and it is something that early detection can curb and follow up with a fulfilled life.”
Below are photos from the walk:
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