Emotional wounds from stigma, discrimination painful than cancer — Mrs Kumah-Dzagah

The Executive Secretary of the Breast Cancer Society of Ghana (BCSG), Mrs Georgina Kumah-Dzagah, has revealed that the emotional wounds caused by stigma and discrimination are often more painful than the physical suffering of the cancer disease itself.

In an interview with The Spectator in Accra, Mrs Kumah-Dzagah said that while the surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy were challenging, the reactions of people around her left deeper scars on her heart than the illness did on her body.

“For many survivors like me, the deepest wound does not come from the cancer itself, it comes from how people respond — the silence from people I once called family, the friends who drifted away as if cancer was contagious, and the stares at social gatherings — those were far more painful,” she said.

According to her, stigma and misconceptions about breast cancer leave many survivors feeling isolated and unloved at a time when they need the most care and encouragement.

“Stigma is cruel because it isolates survivors when we need love the most. It takes away hope, dignity, and the strength we fight so hard to hold on to,” she added.

Mrs Kumah-Dzagah urged the public to understand that breast cancer was not a death sentence and certainly not contagious, stressing that patients and survivors deserve empathy, not avoidance.

Survivors, she said, need encouragement, not judgment, and that they need people to remind them that they are still whole, valuable, and capable of living fully.

She also encouraged survivors to be proud of their scars, describing them as symbols of courage and endurance, saying every scar is proof of survival, not a mark of shame.

Mrs Kumah-Dzagah called on families, friends, and the wider public to offer emotional support to breast cancer survivors, noting that even small gestures of kindness can help restore confidence and hope.

She urged stakeholders to fight not only the disease but also the stigma surrounding it.

By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu

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