While cancer is currently a terrifying name to most Kenyans, having claimed the lives of several prominent personalities, a Nakuru woman is a living testimony of victory over it.
Sally Kwenda has survived three different types of cancer namely; cervical, colon, and rectum, resulting in her undergoing 13 surgeries in the process.
The 50-year-old was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2007, which was treated at the Aga Khan University Hospital.
However, during the treatment, her uterus and womb were removed.
In 2010, she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer resulting in a surgery that saw part of her colon removed, shortly after which the third cancer was diagnosed.
She noted that the medical procedures were costly, adding that each surgery costed about Sh500,000, which was entirely covered by the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF).
Kwenda, who is also HIV positive, said people diagnosed with cancer shouldn't take it as a death sentence since it is not.
“Cancer is not a death sentence, if it were, I would have died long time ago," said Kwenda, who now spends her time giving hope to cancer patients at a sensitisation forum in Nakuru.
The cancer survivor advocated for regular screening as a way to enhance earlier diagnosis and treatment of cancer.