Nigeria
"The costs associated with my periodic medical reviews are unimaginable and a huge burden on me."
I teach in a primary school and the workload is heavy. We teach all subjects, have over 18 lessons a week and write lesson notes in all subjects.
As my health deteriorated the pupils could see and would ask me questions, feel for me and show concern. I was not at work very regularly because of hospital appointments, days off for chemotherapy and its after-effects, and emergency sickness. When the pain on my spine became severe, the oncologist asked what kind of work I did. When I told her she wrote to my place of work to relieve me of some workload due to my health situation. It was through this medical report that I got to know how bad my health condition was. Immediately, I was removed from the classroom to the inspectorate where I was given less work and where I was told to take my time and get well.
I currently work twice a week, occasionally three times. The 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic period also helped as I had no work for a very long time. I later discovered that my boss was very sympathetic and compassionate because his wife had breast cancer.
I was diagnosed in June 2018 with breast cancer and attended to it promptly. In September 2020 it had metastasised to my spine. A sad thing about having ABC is that no sooner have you solved one crisis than another comes, you have not finished buying one drug and you need another.
The costs associated with my periodic medical reviews are unimaginable and a huge burden on me. Sometimes, I think I may not survive to the following week. Even walking can be a big problem. It is just up and down and sometimes one wonders, when will it come to an end, is it in death or in good health? All my money is spent on drugs and I am only living on God’s grace. I have not yet had money to buy one particular drug, but by next year August 2022, if God keeps my life, I will be eligible to get a loan and buy it.