TheNewsGuru

Tag: Cancer

  • Cancer: Military man loses half his manhood after misdiagnosed three times

    Cancer: Military man loses half his manhood after misdiagnosed three times

    An army warrant officer who had half of his penis removed after doctors misdiagnosed his cancer three times has been told he may only have a year left to live.

    Gavin Brooks, 45, a dad of two from Crewe, UK says he has been left with a ‘Frankenweiner’ after undergoing an operation to have a cancerous tumour removed.

    He said: ‘I hope I can get some sort of treatment abroad that can help make the cancer smaller and make my lifespan longer so I can stay around as long as possible.

    ‘My son Jorge says he is going to lift the World Cup one day and I want to be around for that.’

    Gavin, went to army doctors three times in 2021 after he experienced a tight ring of skin around his penis foreskin and later a lesion on the tip of his penis.

    ‘The best way I can describe it is like a ring of tissue or hard skin within the foreskin.

    ‘When I would retract the foreskin, I would have to pull it over the head of the penis.

    ‘The skin that connects the foreskin to the penis broke and would bleed and cause pain when I would go for a wee, I knew this wasn’t normal and that I had to get it checked out.’

    At first, army doctors believed Gavin was suffering from genital warts, but he had been married for 20 years and said he had never been unfaithful.

    Four weeks later when the issue had not cleared, Gavin went back to the same doctor who still believed it to be a wart.

    After seeing a different army doctor, Gavin was prescribed a cream.

    He then referred himself to a sexual health clinic, which referred him to a dermatologist, who took a biopsy from the penis.

    When the result came back, he was given the crushing news that he had penile cancer.

    In January, Gavin went for an operation where he had part of his penis removed.

    He said: ‘They lifted my penis up and cut it in half and took a skin graft from my leg to make a penis head, but it is flat with a hole in.

    ‘I’ve nicknamed it the “Frankenweiner”. When I woke up in hospital I was so scared at how much of my penis looked to have been removed as it had a dressing on it and a catheter fitted.’

    Despite the operation, the cancer had spread and he needed further surgery in April 2022 to remove lymph nodes in his groin and intense chemotherapy in June.

    Devastatingly, the first round of chemotherapy hasn’t worked, and the cancer has spread to other parts of his body.

    He is now undergoing a second chemotherapy treatment with radiotherapy included too.

    Gavin says he is now looking to seek other treatments that are not offered by the UK’s National Health Scheme including immunotherapy, proton beam therapy and dendritic cell treatment, which are widely used in Germany, Gibraltar and Japan in the advanced cancer stages.

    He said: ‘I’ve spent 24 years in the army and a great amount of that time as a fitness training instructor and I use exercise to get rid of stress, now I have to be sat in a wheelchair to watch my little boy play football.

    ‘I can’t walk long distances and I now use a wheelchair more than I walk.’

    Now, he’s urging men to check their penises more regularly for symptoms and has launched an Instagram page called Screaming Cockerel to raise awareness of the disease which has robbed him of his health and mobility.

    He added: ‘If I had been diagnosed earlier, I may have only ended up requiring a circumcision that could have prevented the rest of the operations and chemotherapy.

    ‘That’s why I need to raise as much awareness for this rare and unknown cancer, so more time and research can be spent into the treatment and diagnosis of this deadly disease before it’s too late.’

  • The health wars of people in their 50s and 60s – By Francis Ewherido

    The health wars of people in their 50s and 60s – By Francis Ewherido

    By Francis Ewherido

    When I was growing up, death was so distant. Once in a while, my parents discussed someone who died. Most times, I did not even know the person. Not anymore; as I grow older, news of deaths has become more regular and closer: death of two siblings, relatives, in-laws, friends, acquaintances and people I know from afar. Some of the reasons that caused these deaths are stroke, hypertension, diabetes, cancer and heart failure, amongst other ailments. Somebody I got to meet about six weeks ago suddenly died in the presence of his wife, daughter and uncle. His aged mother went to bed about an hour earlier and did not get to witness the sudden and horrendous death of her son, but now the octogenarian knows. Also, the blood sugar of someone I know suddenly shot up. He has been managing the sugar level, but not this time: he died before help could come. An acquaintance travelled home for a ceremony. He slumped and died. We are all aware of the popular gospel singer, Sammie Okposo. It is just crazy.

    “Death is a necessary end; will come when it will come.” Personally, I have stopped worrying about my own death. Why worry about what I have no powers over? But I do what is within my power to avoid deaths that I can avoid. A diabetic woman had a sore in one of her legs that refused to heal. She was told the leg had to be amputated or she would die. She preferred to die rather than live with one leg. Not long after, she died. Another old man agreed to be amputated. It was done and he lived to 89 years before he died of unrelated causes.

    A woman was diagnosed with breast cancer. She refused a mastectomy; she felt a woman without breast is a man not a woman. But she still had her vagina, not a penis! Gradually, the cancer spread to the second breast and the rest of her body. By the time, she faced reality and agreed that the breasts be chopped off, it was late. Why would you keep breasts that have become cancerous? If it’s because of your husband, will he agree to suck cancerous breasts? Won’t he be worried that the cancer might spread to him though unlikely? If you do a mastectomy and your husband now finds you unattractive, to hell with him. It is the vagina not the breasts that is the primary sex organ? If you die tomorrow, he will mourn you for a while, remarry and move on with his life. Who knows what is beneath once you dress up? I know a few women who have had mastectomies on one or both breasts. If I had not been told, I would not have known. I am very happy that more breast cancer survivors, including those who underwent mastectomies, are now coming out. Soon it will become normal, not something to be ashamed of.

    Some men who suffer from prostate cancer also get to a stage where they need to chop off their balls. Hopefully they would have had their kids. But even if they have no kids, what is more important, childlessness and be alive or risk death when there is even no guarantee that you will have the children you have not had before the cancer? The primary reason for marriage remains companionship, not procreation. One polygamist was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He was told his balls needed to be removed to tame the rampaging cancer. He took a look at his harem, wondered what would happen to them. He refused to do the procedure. Not too long after he died. These are the avoidable deaths I am referring to.

    The first line of battle to stop avoidable deaths is self. About four years ago, I recommended these measures: “Once you are 40 years, annual medical checkup becomes a necessity. The checkups recommended by medical practitioners include physical examination, visual examination, blood sugar level, Lipid profile, Liver function test, electrolyte, full blood count, urinalysis, prostate specific antigen (men above 40yrs), Chest x-ray (Above 40yrs), prostate scan (Men above 50yrs), ECG (Those above 40yrs), colonoscopy (men above 50yrs), mammography (for women above 40yrs and some other tests. Each of these procedures serves a particular purpose. Chest x-ray, for instance, is meant to show the state of your lungs. Chest x-rays can detect heart-related lung problems, cancer, infections like tuberculosis and pneumonia or air collecting in the space around a lung, among others. Blood sugar level is for all persons 40 years and above, especially people from families where there is a history of diabetes. In fact, such persons should have been doing their checks long before 40 years. Normal blood sugar level is between 70 and 99 fasting (that is when you wake up in the morning) and not more than 140 two hours after a meal at all times.” For financial reasons, you can stagger them starting with what is most important depending on your health conditions.

    Sometimes, I get unsettled. As I am writing, five of my friends are battling with prostate enlargement/cancer. Though I have already done two tests this year, I intend to do another one before the year runs out. I scolded one of my friends recently. His father died of prostate cancer, but he has never checked his and he is over 50 years. Urhobos say that the stick you see must not pierce your eyes.

    I am pre-diabetic. Consequently, I took a few drastic steps. I have stopped taking soft drinks and malt. I am okay with water. Once I found out champagne is filled with sugar, I stopped taking it and the economy has made my job easier. Red wine is the only drink with sugar that I take and it is restricted to an occasional glass. Garri, my addiction for over 50 years, is forbidden in whatever form. Cake is restricted to birthdays and I take just a small portion. My diet is restricted to oat, unripe plantain and cornflakes. I check my blood sugar twice a week. Once in a while, if my diet gets boring, I eat rice, or spaghetti or anything I fancy, but not sugary stuff. These measures, though extreme, have worked for me because my fasting sugar is scarcely above 99 and I no longer take any diabetic drug.

    High blood pressure is still an issue though I take my conventional drugs religiously. My ultra-protective teenage daughter was by my side when I was checking my blood pressure one day. At the end the sphygmomanometer (BP monitor) “announced” that my BP is “abnormal.” My daughter retorted that “you’re the one that is abnormal, not my daddy’s BP.” I consoled her that the monitor was only reporting what it read, but she went on ranting. I am still looking for alternative effective herbal remedies. The ones they told me will “crash” my BP did not crash anything. I have also stopped watching competitive live matches of Nigeria and my team, Arsenal. They make my BP shoot through the roof. One woman told me how her elder brother died while watching an Arsenal match in those Arsenal horror days. Now I am okay with knowing the results at the end of the match. If it is favourable, I can then settle down and watch the replay.

    Everyone should take his medication religiously. I was once on admission abroad when I fell ill during a trip. The nurses would bring the drugs and insist I take them before they leave. One Indian nurse was most notorious for that. I started resenting her. At a point I felt she was being racist. That was until my Nigerian sister explained to me that many oyibos do not like taking their drugs. If you leave them, they will either flush the drugs down the toilet or throw them into the bin.

    My dear people in your 50s and 60s, especially, please take your health more seriously. It is expensive, but treatment (of cancer, stroke and others), burial and the sudden vacuum you leave behind are more costly. You really have two options: kick out deadly habits or risk kicking the bucket.

  • Women who don’t breast feed susceptible to breast cancer — expert

    Women who don’t breast feed susceptible to breast cancer — expert

    The Chairperson, the Medical Women Association of Nigeria (MWAN) Plateau chapter, Prof. Amaka Ocheke, says that women who don’t breastfeed are more susceptible to the risk of getting breast cancer.

    Ocheke who is a consultant obstetrician and gynecologist with the University of Jos Teaching Hospital (JUTH), said this during a breast cancer awareness walk in Jos.

    The walk was organised in collaboration with the Nigeria Women Journalists (NAWOJ) and the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) on Thursday.

    Ocheke further said that other predisposing factors were early commencement of menstruation and early start of menopause, drinking, smoking, consumption of fatty food and family history (genetics).

    She said that early detection “is key for survival, as when it is detected early it is treatable”.

    Ocheke, however, noted that most women only came when the disease was in an advanced stage and difficult to manage.

    She called on women and girls to inculcate the act of examining their breasts and armpits monthly for abnormalities such as lumps and change in the appearance of the breast skin and nipple as more ladies in their 20s and 30s were coming down with breast cancer.

    She called on women from ages 40 and above to ensure they go for yearly mammogram as the act helps to detect tumors in the breast very early.

    Similarly, the chairperson of NAWOJ in Plateau, Mrs Nene Dung, said that the walk was salient in creating and rising awareness about breast cancer.

    Dung explained that most women “still live in denial as regards breast cancer and such should be discouraged as the denial has led to the death of many women”.

    The walk began from the city centre to old JUTH.

    NAN

  • Ex-African heavyweight champion, Ekwelum down with cancer

    Ex-African heavyweight champion, Ekwelum down with cancer

    Ngozika Ekwelum, a former African Boxing Union (ABU) Heavyweight Champion is down with health challenges suspected to be prostate cancer.

    Ekwuelum told NAN that he had been in and out of hospital, including the three months he spent at the cancer department of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu since the ailment developed two years ago.

    He lamented that he had spent all his life savings on treating the sickness and needed more because he was still down.

    The veteran pugilist said he had a coaching contract agreement with the defunct Ministry of Sports in Anambra which was terminated without benefit by the Anambra Sports Development Commission.

    He said,  in spite of undergoing a series of surgeries, he was still bedridden with swollen legs, urinating blood, bladder and body pains.

    According to him, “I have pains all over my private part area. The cancer has been there for about two years now, it has not been easy staying alive but thank God.

    He said he was coaching young boxers for the Anambra Government on contract but the former management of the Sports Commission stopped him on the grounds of old age.

    “The contract started when somebody donated boxing equipment of about N3.5 million to the state and they needed a coach, that was when I was employed to do the job, my age does not have anything to do with my knowledge of boxing,” he said.

    Ekwelum called on the Anambra Government and the general public to come to his aid financially because managing cancer was not easy.

    “Even my landlord has thrown me out of our three-bedroom flat due to inability to pay rent,” he said.

    Ekwelum made waves in boxing in the late 60s and 80s, recorded ab­out 31 victorious fights, including the historic victory over Joe Kalala of Ghana at the National Stadium, Lagos in 1980 which earned him ABU Heavyweight Champion.

  • Experts decry neglect of disease ravaging African continent

    A team of health experts has come together to lead efforts to proffer solutions for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a bacteria identified to cause gastritis and gastric cancer, that is ravaging the African continent.

    The team of experts led by Prof Stella Smith (FAS) officially presented the African Helicobacter and Microbiota Study Initiative (AHMSI) at an event held at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) on Monday.

    Speaking during the event, Prof Smith, a Professor of Medical Microbiology, who is AHMSI’s Director of Research, decried the ravaging effects of H. pylori, which she said has been identified to affect more than 50 per cent of the world population.

    Prof Smith said that the disease, previously known as Campylobacter pylori, is a gram-negative, microaerophilic, spiral (helical) bacterium usually found in the stomach.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports infection with H. pylori causes chronic inflammation and significantly increases the risk of developing duodenal and gastric ulcer disease and gastric cancer.

    Speaking on how to tackle the bacteria, Prof Smith urged African leaders to wake up to the dangers H. pylori poses to its citizenry. She said the bacterium was first identified in 1982 by Australian doctors, Barry Marshall and Robin Warren.

    Further highlighting the dangers of H. pylori, the Professor of Medical Microbiology said the disease causes gastric cancer.

    “What I want to tell the government is that although H. pylori is neglected, generally in Africa, not only in Nigeria, we decided to fill in that gap because we know that Helicobacter pylori infection is real.

    “It actually causes gastritis, as well as some percentages of gastric cancer. Our research is to try and focus on what we believe H. pylori research will bring to bear in Africa.

    “So, whatever research we’re doing is not just for Nigeria alone. We’re working towards general living, improvement of diagnosis, (because that’s another problem) the treatment as well as management of Helicobacter pylori”, Prof Smith said.

    The AHMSI’s Director of Research went further to say: “You know that anything that causes cancer is not anything you need to play with. The World Health Organisation, 1994 called it a class one carcinogen. So it actually causes cancer.

    “And in countries where gastric cancer cases get as high as 5 per cent, one is usually at risk of time in the long run. So we need to nip the issues of proper diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori in the bud.

    “So we can look at the culture because if you don’t culture you probably don’t know the exact treatment to give the organism. So our group is going to conduct in-depth research on the Helicobacter pylori diagnosis, treatment, and management in Africa”.

    Meanwhile, Dr Mohammed Alboraie, a research scholar of internal medicine and gastroenterology at Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt, who was present at the event, said all hands must be on deck to curb the deadly effects of H. pylori on Africans.

    TNG reports Dr Alboraie disclosed that his group is making available unique solutions to gastric disorders, especially H. pylori.

    “African researchers have come together to proffer solutions to Africa because other countries may have different types of resistance patterns and bacteria to the antibiotics.

    “In Africa, we didn’t have a group that studies the bacteria affecting the stomach.

    “So, we gathered here to offer some solutions, customised to African countries. For example, the economy in Africa is different from that in Europe or America.

    “Also, the antibiotics present here may not be the same as that in America or Europe. Some antibiotics are available in America and Europe and they are not available here [Africa].

    “Some antibiotics are effective in our population in Africa which may not be active in Europe and America.

    “Also, regarding the diagnosis of the disease, we may use other forms of diagnostic tests which may be suitable and effective in Africa, but not in America and Europe.

    “The bacteria has different strengths and resistance and that’s why we are studying our population in Africa and studying the effectiveness of the drugs here and proffer the best solutions for our population,” Alboraie said.

  • 2Baba visits Sound Sultan’s grave in the US

    2Baba visits Sound Sultan’s grave in the US

    Ace Nigerian singer, Innocent Idibia, better known as 2Baba, has paid a visit to the cemetery in the United States where late Nigerian rapper, Olanrewaju Abdul-Ganiu Fasasi, popularly known as Sound Sultan, was buried.

     

    Sound Sultan died on July 11, 2021, after a 4-year battle with angioimmunoblastic t-cell lymphoma — a type of blood cancer that starts in the white blood cells.

     

    On Monday, the ‘For Instance’ crooner shared a video on his Instagram page where he was accompanied by other friends as they paid tribute to the late singer.

    2Baba
    2Baba and Sound Sultan

     

    While they paid their respects by laying flowers on the tombstone of the ‘Area’ singer, 2Baba was later seen crouching in front of the graveyard.

     

    He wrote: “Went to pay my respect to my brother SOUND SULTAN with my brothers @emmaugolee @amfrankiej @blackahrank.

     

    “July 11, world Sultan day. Blessed #grateful #warrior. We miss you my dear friend @soundsultan. Olanrewaju Fasasi. Bless up.”

    2Baba
    2Baba’s note

     

    The prolific songwriter and rapper — born Olanrewaju Fasasi — passed away at the age of 44.

     

    Before his death, Sound Sultan had a successful career that spanned over decades with eight studio albums to his credit.

     

    He got married to Farida Fasasi and their union was blessed with three kids.

     

    Sound Sultan was also a songwriter, actor, comedian, and recording artist.

     

    He was regarded as one of the pacesetters of modern hip hop music in Nigeria.

     

    The late rapper was notable for using his music to speak against poverty, corruption, bad governance and societal ills in Nigeria.

     

    Sound Sultan’s career in show business:

    Sound Sultan’s career in show business started in the 1990s, when he hosted shows to raise money for studio sessions.

     

    By 1999, he had won numerous local talent-hunt shows. He released his first single Mathematics “Jagbajantis” in 2000, which was a hit in Nigeria. After independently releasing other singles and featuring in hit songs of other artists, he was signed by Kennis Music.

     

    Under Kennis Music, Sound Sultan released four albums. By 2007, his contract with the label expired and he partnered with Baba Dee to start Naija Ninjas, a parent organization for a record label, production outfit and clothing line.

     

    After starting as a rapper, he has worked in different musical genres from R&B to Afrobeat, soul and Nigerian Fuji music. He has said that artists shouldn’t be judged on the genre in which they perform, that the important thing is the message conveyed in the music.

     

    Under Naija Ninjas, he released Back From The Future (2011) and signed artists such as Karma Da Rapper, Young GreyC, Shawn (Sean Tizzle) and Blacka.

     

    Naija Ninjas released their debut EP titled The Rebirth in 2012 and it featured the hit single Aropin which was produced by music producer Prodizzle featuring Sound Sultan, Karma & Sean Tizzle.

    2Baba
    Late Sound Sultan

     

    Sound Sultan began a working relationship with Wyclef Jean when featured alongside 2face Idibia and Faze on “Proud to be African” from Wyclef’s Welcome to Haiti: Creole 101 album. They have collaborated on two other projects: “King of My Country” (2009) and “People Bad” (2012).

     

    In 2012, it was announced that Sound Sultan was made a UN Ambassador for Peace for his exemplary lifestyle and career.

     

    In 2015, Sound Sultan released the rap single “Remember” after a long absence from the music scene.

     

    After the fallout of the African Basketball League, Sound Sultan joined forces with the organizers of the Continental Basketball League to become a team owner of Lagos City Stars (the 2017 champions) and a facilitator of the league entertainment.

     

    Sound Sultan featured on Honorebel’s 2019 single “Bridal” with Joe El.

  • Nigerian journalists mourn death of Daily Trust correspondent, Mutum

    Nigerian journalists mourn death of Daily Trust correspondent, Mutum

    The death of Daily Trust correspondent, Mr Ronald Mutum, who died on Friday night after a battle with cancer, has thrown Nigerian journalists into mourning.

     

    At Daily Trust, he worked hard to make his presence felt in the beats assigned to him.

     

    He covered Defence, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission and other beats specially reserved for ‘restless’ journalists.

     

    Mutum who arrived in the country from Germany after a successful surgery a few months ago put up a post on his health condition on March 30, where he alerted his friends of the new medical challenge.

    Ronald Mutum

     

    “They are calling it pulmonary metastasis! It’s a new battlefront… Already I’m on a new line of Chemotherapy! God is in control,” he had said.

     

    The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Abuja chapter, Mr Emmanuel Ogbeche, described his death as a painful one though adding that the journalist “needed the rest.”

     

    Mutum took on stories that scare other reporters and was saddled with the onerous task of covering “troublesome story mills” like Defence, EFCC, ICPC

  • BREAKING: Gospel singer, Chinedu Nwadike is dead

    BREAKING: Gospel singer, Chinedu Nwadike is dead

    Popular gospel singer, Chinedu Nwadike is dead, TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) learnt.

    TNG reports Chinedu Nwadike died of blood cancer a few hours ago at the National Hospital, Abuja.

    Nwadike, born June 26, 1983, is a Nigerian Igbo gospel artist from Imo State.

    He was seen in a video last week, saying that he had been miraculously healed of kidney disease.

    But unfortunately, he was rushed to the hospital again after a few days.

    Nwadike was billed to proceed to India for treatment of the blood cancer/leukaemia.

    The gospel singer was married to Sorochi Dora and they are blessed with three children.

  • Atomic Energy Agency launches cancer care initiative in Africa

    Atomic Energy Agency launches cancer care initiative in Africa

    International Atomic Energy Agency on Friday, World Cancer Day, launched a new initiative. It is aimed at providing cancer care for people living in low and middle-income countries in Africa.

    The initiative, dubbed “Rays of Hope”, was officially launched at an event held during the ongoing Summit at AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa.

    Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the AU Commission; Felix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and current chairperson of the African Union; and Macky Sall, President of Senegal and incoming AU chair, co-hosted the launch event.

    Director-General of IAEA, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said “Rays of Hope” will tackle the burden of cancer in Africa by expanding radiotherapy, where radiation treatment is absent.

    “I would like to thank the International Atomic Energy Agency for its commitment to our fight against cancer across the continent through strengthening member states’ capacities in radiotherapy to ensure proper care,’’ Tshisekedi, chairperson of the 55-member pan-African bloc said.

    Speaking on the occasion, Senegalese President, Sall, said cancer causes 700,000 deaths every year in Africa. This is a continent where over 40 per cent of countries do not have radiotherapy facilities.

  • SAD! Pastor Taiwo Odukoya loses twin sister one month after wife

    SAD! Pastor Taiwo Odukoya loses twin sister one month after wife

    Senior Pastor of the Fountain of Life Bible Church Pastor Taiwo Odukoya has lost his twin sister Kehinde Hassan.

    TheNewsGuru gathered that the 65-year-old died on Thursday of complications from cancer.

    Hassan’s demise was confirmed by Odukoya’s daughter Tolu Ijogun in an Instagram post on Thursday night.

    “My Dearest Aunty K, my birthing partner and one of my closest aunties…

    “You were always there for me when I needed my mother the most.

    “You held my hand and encouraged me…

    “To say I will miss you is such an understatement.

    “Rest on Aunty, love you,” she wrote.

    Recall that her death comes one month after Odukoya lost his South African wife Nomthi Odukoya after a two-year battle with cancer.

    Pastor Taiwo Odukoya is yet to publicly announce Hassan’s death.