Hi. I am a 43 year old man, father of two. I own an enterprise which deal in the sale of computer and computer accessories in Ikeja. In early 2010, I lost my dad to kidney cancer stage IV, he was 62 years old
10 years ago, my father who was 61 years old then called me to express his observations, he noticed his urine had blood in it for about a week therabouts and was quite agitated. I took him to the hospital where he was suspected to have had a urinary tract infection, drugs were administered, which he used as prescribed, but didn’t resolve the hematuria, rather his health conditions worse. This prompted us to proceed to the general hospital, where he had an abdominopelvic ultrasound scan that dscovered a large mass on his right kidney. The doctors advised a nephrectony which we proceeded with, despite the surgery, he still didn’t get better. Follow up tests revealed that the cancer had metastatized to other sites in his body. A lot more was done, but we lost the battle 7 months later, 25th of March, 2010. It was quite a painful experience.
In April, 2012, two years after my father passed away, I ran into an old childhood friend who is now a medical doctor. We reminisced old times, and I told him about my the nature of my father’s demise. He showed quite a lot of concern, he advised and was insistent on me getting screened for the disease. I was initially reluctant and eventually yielded to his demands. I received quite a big shock when the specialist he referred me to came back with the result of my ultrasound scan showing a 5x7cm mass on my left kidney. I was distraught as I feared I was about to go down the same road my father did.
The specialist however reassured me that it was very much at an early stage and was well treatable. With encouragement and support from my doctor friend, the specialist and my family, I underwent a nephrectomy of the left kidney and in no less than a month I was out of the hospital. I was only just 36 years old when all this happened, I remain grateful to God for bringing my doctor friend my way to help save my life as if I had not taken the screening, I wouldn’t have discovered the renal cell cancer at ts early stage, especially when I had no symptoms, not to talk of treatment.
I am very well in the know now that renal cell cancer can be hereditary and early screening could really be a life saver as it helps one nip it in the bud before it becomes an all out battle for one’s life. Definitely, my other siblings also got screened and we are all doing very fine today. So, please don’t keep any health anomaly to yourself. Seek medical help, early detection is key to life.