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Debbie down with skull and lung cancer after surviving breast and bone cancer

Idiagbonya Osarere Debbie is a stage 4 invasive ductal caronoma (breast cancer) survivor. She became known in 2012, when her friends created the #Save Debbie campaign to help her raise funds to enable her go to America. She has been receiving treatment at Howard University Teaching Hospital, Washington DC, USA, till date.

On Saturday, January 30, 2016, she took to her Instagram page to break the news to her followers who have been following and paying attention to her cancer survival journey, that the cancer had resurfaced and metasized to the bones and skull wall.

“Just because I didn’t get chemotheraphy on time, cancer went to play a terrible game on my system, but trust God, He will never forsake His own people.

“Was hospitalized from Christmas to January 29, the new condition gave all my medical team hypertension before they finally discovered the cause. John 11 vs 4 says this sickness is not unto death but for the son of God to be glorified. Still in severe pain but I am grateful I made it through. Cancer sucks.”

She also posted pictures of herself with tubes fitted into different parts of her baby and explained what they were for.

”Cancer is in my skull wall and also affected my lungs called pleural effusion on abnormal tissue of fluid in the layers of tissue lungs and the inside of chest. I have a tube thoracostomy placed on my right side to help with draining of fluid at home. Hope to start chemotherapy soonest so it can help with the healing.”

She went ahead to post the link to her gofund me page, a website mostly used in America for raising and soliciting for funds. On the page she properly stated her story for those who would be stumbling on her story for the first time. It goes:

“My name is Deborah Osarere Idiagbonya. I have been living with stage 1 invasive ductal caronoma since 2012. An online campaign was created #SaveDebbie to raise funds for me by friends in my home country Nigeria which enabled me to come to the US, where I have been receiving treatments at Howard University Teaching Hospital till date. I went on remission in April to September 2014 before the cancer resurfaced and I started a fresh treatment of chemotheraphy. Now my cancer has metasized to the bone and skull wall which is now affecting the lungs to function well.

“The money will be used to continue my treatments and any major surgeries. I need the funds as soon as possible to enable me continue with my treatments. If people can help me raise this money, they will help keep me alive as I would be eternally grateful to them like I have been to all Nigerians that donated towards my treatment in 2012, because they were used by God to keep me alive till this moment when my doctors at that time said I had only a month to live.

“Please, help keep me alive by donating to my treatment and don’t forget to continually put me in your prayers because that is a major key to the cause of my healing.”

In 2012 when she needed N6 million for surgery, her friends helped her start a campaign to raise the money. It would be recalled that some Nigerian musicians like Ruggedman, Mo’Cheddah, Davido, Don Jazzy and more donated and helped put out awareness for her. ENCOMIUM Weekly had a chat with her via email in 2013, while she was responding to treatment and she confirmed that she’s feeling better after a mastectomy.

In April 2015, she was diagnosed with bone cancer which she has survived till now. Debbie has been strong and survived stage 4 breast cancer and bone cancer. We are certain that she will survive the cancer that has just surfaced in her skull walls and lungs. She was a laboratory technician in Lagos before she was diagnosed. Her mother lives in Lagos, while she lost her father on her birthday on August 1, 2012, after battling with stroke.

She’s been getting support over the years from a few cancer groups in America like the African Women Cancer Awareness Association, Zuri Works for Women Health, Dare to Courage and SEED.

Encomium

Written by Encomium

A media, tech and events company.

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