Ida (right), pictured here with Dolores Magro, PBCC Patient Advocate, at the 2004 Keystone Breast Cancer Conference.
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Previous Survivor Stories
Carlisle, PA
Ida Tonui is 46 years old and
a mother of two, a 28 year-old
daughter and an 8 year-old
son. She first visited the U.S.
in 1999 when her husband was
invited to the Army War College.
They returned to Kenya in
2000. Last year, Ida fled her
country to escape her
husband’s abuse. She had a
mammogram after hearing a
speaker at the YWCA talk about
early detection, and breast
cancer was discovered.
I was in shock and denial. No
one in my family ever had breast
cancer. I had a lumpectomy
followed by 6 rounds of
chemotherapy, then 35 radiation
treatments. I will be on Tamoxifen
for five years. I worried about
losing my hair, but it grew back
more beautiful than it was before!
My advice to all breast cancer
patients is to join a support group.
You see that you are not alone.
You see the survivors, many who
have survived a long time and you
are encouraged. A support group
opens the door to learning from
other women’s experiences.
Twice a year our support group
goes out to dinner. I went to the
recent dinner out. We all wore
pink ribbon pins, or hand-knitted
scarves with pink ribbons. Others
in the restaurant could see we
were breast cancer survivors. We
were laughing so hard and having
such a good time. It must be
good for people to see that breast
cancer is not the end of laughter
and not the end of life.
"The PBCC is a blessing. I will never forget the PBCC saying 'we will not rest until we find help for you'. I was so happy I cried." |
I was raised in a Christian
family, but I attended church as
a formality and enjoyed going
because I sang in the choir.
When I was able to return to this
country, and then received
medical help and after all I’ve
experienced, I learned it is God’s
will and everything happened as
He planned.
I am more patient. I am the 5th
of 8 children, yet I was always
the leader. They never made a
decision without me. I wanted
them to be perfect in every way.
Now I listen and am more patient.
This was all a blessing in
disguise. If I were still in Kenya,
by now I would be dead. I would
not have thought about getting a
mammogram. Even if I did, I
wouldn’t get the medical attention
I had here. A woman I knew in
Kenya had breast cancer. There
was a fundraiser to send her to
the U.K. for treatment. She had
to sell her land to help pay for it.
The PBCC is a blessing. I will
never forget the PBCC saying we
will not rest until we find help for
you. I was so happy, I cried.
When I came to this country I
never expected my life to become
what it is and to meet the people
I have met. Breast cancer has
made me see a lot of things,
especially how everyone in
America is so concerned and
kind. Almost everyone I have met
has been good to me. God has
been good to me. |
