Philip Odiyo

We Kenyans are olympic champions of optimism. You will hear someone coughing for months say, “Ni homa ya kawaida, itapita.” Someone will find a lump and declare, “Maybe ni mosquito bite ya stubborn.” We postpone hospitals the way we postpone gym memberships. “Next week, kabisa this time.” The truth? It takes a full year for most Kenyans to move from first symptom to diagnosis. A whole year of herbs, whispers and google searches. By the time we act, the disease has already packed its bags and settled in. We don’t have a cancer crisis, we have a delay culture. Early checks save lives and peace of mind. Don’t wait for the pain to shout what your body whispered months ago. October is breast cancer awareness month! Go for cancer screening this month. Do it for you, and for those who’d never recover from losing you.