Her dream to become a home teacher and extend help to children in her community after 36 years of serving her country by impacting knowledge and winning awards for her good work, went down to the drain while battling for her life after 5 years diagnosed with breast cancer.
Madam Victoria Huno a 63-year-old retired teacher diagnosed with breast cancer; in pain shared her journey with Akua Oteng Amponsah a broadcast journalist who works with Kasapa FM as a news anchor.
The team early Tuesday morning took off from Accra to Afienya, arrived at the destination exactly 10:15am, and was led to the home of Madam Victoria by the help of an 18-year-old girl who assist her with her daily activities in house.
Narrating her ordeal, she indicated that it all begun few months before retiring from service in 2014. Madam Victoria reveals, she experienced an unusual pain in her left breast which made her undergo several tests including mammogram at the 37 military hospital, but nothing fishy was found since all test proved otherwise.
Still experiencing the pain when retiring from active teaching service in 2014, she later proceeded on a visit to Kumasi in 2018 to Breast Care international and had her breast examined but that was when she had the shock of her life.
Returning to Accra knowing her breast cancer status, she went back to 37 military hospital where she requested for a transfer to Korle-Bu Teaching hospital in 2018.
At that point, she was made to undergo a chemotherapy test amongst other tests after which she went through bursectomy in 2020 to have the left cancerous breast removed completely.
Thinking the battle of breast cancer had ended after the surgery, she also had to go through radiotherapy, injection for a year, other tests as well as regular checks.
Although she survived with the meager savings while in active service, it wasn’t enough to keep her up to her drugs, and as a result, producing a 3 square daily meal became a hard nut to crack since the money from her two children and former husband could also not be enough.
Indigenes from her community, creditors, old students and few people she knows have been good to her. However, affording the needed drugs for proper medical care has become a problem.
Asking her why her condition hasn’t improved even after surgery, she opined that she is diabetic cum sickle cell patient who is unable to eat well, not to talk of money to afford her drugs to keep her fit.
Several attempts to get financial support from the immediate association Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) have proven futile.
Speaking to GNAT on the back of her ordeal, they explained that although there is a cancer fund that support teachers in such condition, the fund which was created in 2014 could only assist teachers who are in active service from the time it was enacted.
Meanwhile, retirees have been enrolled onto the support scheme after scrutiny last year 2022 with a regulation that only those who retired after 2022 are eligible.
Notwithstanding, GNAT had in many instances assisted retirees whose condition were critical.
Currently, Madam Victoria’s condition hasn’t been the best and she is calling on the Ministry of Education, cancer support groups, individuals, stakeholders etc…to intervene.
Story by; Akua Oteng Amponsah
