Gender
Overcoming breast cancer …Theresa Fakaah’s journey to survival
Theresa Fakaah.
At just 33 years, Theresa Fakaah’s world was turned upside down when she was diagnosed with breast cancer at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra. Overwhelmed by fear and negativity, she broke down in tears upon hearing the biopsy results.
The doctor’s words echoed in her mind: “The cancer is aggressive; we must remove the affected breast to prevent it from spreading to the other.” The thought of losing a breast, especially at her age and without having children or a partner, was unbearable.
Ms Fakaah’s breast cancer journey started in 2021 when she visited Ga South Municipal with a pain in her breast and was later referred to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
It was at the hospital that she receive the devastating news of breast cancer that turned her life around.
Desperate for an alternative, Theresa abandoned conventional treatment and sought herbal remedies for three months. However, her condition worsened.
While on herbal treatment, she experienced excruciating pain and discharge from her right breast coupled with sleepless nights.
Returning to Korle-Bu the following year 2022, Theresa began her treatment anew, she went through eight cycles of chemotherapy, surgery to remove the affected breast and received 14 shots of Herceptin in her thigh.
Herceptin is a medication administered through infusion. This targeted therapy helps prevent cancer cells from growing and is commonly used as an adjuvant treatment to prevent recurrence.
Initially, she was scheduled to receive 18 Herceptin injections, however, Ms Fakaah experienced adverse reactions after 14 injections, and her medical team decided to discontinue the treatment with it and suggested another drug.
She said she was neglected by her family when they heard of her condition, advising her to return to the village for cure; a suggestion she refused, hence the rejection.
She was later supported by Toptown Church of Christ, Amanfrom and other individuals which enabled her to go through the treatment.
She encouraged breast cancer patients not to habour fear in them but rather follow the instructions of health professionals in order to ‘fight and conquer’ the disease.
Ms Fakaah’s breast cancer journey, is an indication of the rising number of young women in Ghana being diagnosed with breast cancer, underscoring the urgency for broader public education and awareness.
In Ghana alone, over 2,000 women lose their lives to breast cancer each year, however, health experts believe the number is significantly higher, as many cases remain undiagnosed.
A major barrier to diagnosis and treatment is the cost, with many unable to afford the necessary medical procedures. As a result, countless individuals return home, untreated, only to succumb to the disease.
October is globally recognised as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, dedicated to raising awareness about the disease and promoting early detection.
This year’s global theme for the awareness month is “no one should face breast cancer alone,” with the aim of bringing to attention the silent struggles faced by survivors and patients who may feel isolated and unsupported due to the disease.
The goal of this year’s campaign is to ensure that survivors receive the warmth and support they need while battling with the disease and stigma.
It is therefore important not to pay lip service to the treatment of breast cancer, as many women are continuously suffering from the disease.
It is also important for stakeholders to find ways of lessening the financial and emotional burden of patients and survivors, increase awareness especially among young people, promote healthy lifestyles, improve access to screening and diagnostic facilities as well as enhancing healthcare infrastructure and treatment options.
Theresa’s journey was marked by fear, denial, and determination. Today, she stands as a testament to resilience and courage in the face of adversity
By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu
Gender equality should not be left to women alone, but requires the active participation of men and other stakeholders, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has said.
She said gender equality was a national development issue and not a matter concerning only women, stressing that both men and women had important roles to play in creating an inclusive society.
Dr Lartey said this last Thursday in Accra at a capacity workshop on the implementation of the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024.
The workshop was aimed at helping journalists understand the provisions of the Act, strengthen their capacity to communicate gender equity issues and promote accurate, balance reporting on the implementation of the Act.
Ghana could not achieve meaningful development if one section of society was excluded from participating fully in leadership, decision-making and other areas of national development.
“It is not about a group of people. It is not about one of the sexes. It is about the nation. It is about the country,” she said.
She called for stronger commitment to translating the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024 (Act 1121), into practical action to improve women’s participation in leadership and decision-making.
She said the passage of the law should not be considered the end of the process, but rather the beginning of deliberate efforts to ensure that its objectives were achieved.
Dr Lartey said increasing the number of women in leadership was important, but their participation must also have a meaningful impact on national development.
“We want it to count,” she stressed, calling for practical initiatives that would move the affirmative action agenda from policy to implementation.
The Executive Director of Women, Media and Change (WOMEC), Dr Charity Binka, also urged the media to play a critical role in ensuring the effective implementation of the Act.
She said Ghana had taken an important step by passing the law after 13 years of efforts, but the real test was its implementation.
According to Dr Binka, the Act requires 30 per cent representation of women in leadership and decision-making by 2026, rising to 50 per cent by 2030.
She urged the media to inform the public about the law, monitor institutions’ compliance and challenge stereotypes that undermine women’s leadership.
Dr Binka urged journalists to ensure institutions were complying with requirements, including Gender Equity Policies, Compliance Certificates and annual reports.
She said affirmative action was not about replacing merit with gender, but addressing structural barriers that had historically limited qualified women’s opportunities to participate and lead.
She called for stronger collaboration among government, civil society, traditional and religious leaders, the private sector, the media and other stakeholders to turn the law into measurable results for women and girls.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
The United Nations has warned, that Gender equality is “woefully off track.”
At the current rate of progress, gender equality would take 171 years to achieve, the UN’s Gender Snapshot report said.
The number of countries with a woman as head of state or government has increased from 2020 to 2026. “Yet six in seven countries are still led by men.
Women’s representation in national cabinets declined to 22.4 per cent in 2026, after peaking at 23.3 per cent in 2024,” the report said. “The decline is a warning sign that gains cannot be taken for granted, and that progress towards equal political power remains fragile.”
Funding for gender equality has fallen to its lowest level since 2021, the report found. At the same time, 42 per cent of UN agencies reported that their efforts to promote gender equality had been weakened, as a result of budget cuts.
Millions of women also continued to endure some extremely severe forms of violence and discrimination across the globe, the UN said. Nearly one in five girls is married before the age of 18, and nearly one in three women globally have survived partner or sexual violence in their lifetime.
In the past year, 316 million women experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner, the report said.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Li Junhua, said the statistics were not inevitable. “It is the result of choices, made visible through data. Investing in gender equality, institutions, and the statistical systems that hold them to account is not a cost. It is the fastest route back to the 2030 Agenda’s promise of equal power for all.”-GNA
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