 |
| Tendai Ziweni |
Beatific Gumbwanda
The Chiredzi Pioneers Association
(CHIPAQ), an organization formed by some of Chiredzi’s early residents, has
raised around US$500 for a woman diagnosed with breast cancer to undergo
treatment at Karanda Mission Hospital.
The beneficiary, Tendai Ziweni
(48), is daughter to a founding member of the association who is now late.
The assistance comes as Zimbabwe
has joined the rest of the world in commemorating the 2020 International Breast
Cancer Awareness Month.
The organisation raised a total
of RTGS$3 630.00 and US$484.00 for Ziweni’s treatment.
CHIPAQ secretary general Bernard
Mhunduru said it was the organisation’s objective to find assistance for those
that need it the most.
“We are glad to be able to help
Tendai, who is daughter to the late Mr Ziweni, an early resident of this town.
The money will cover her treatment costs and will also cater for some of her
other needs at Karanda Mission Hospital. Our members from outside the country
also played a role in raising that amount of money,” said Mhunduru.
In an interview with TellZim
News, Ziweni said she was diagnosed with the disease in June this year but she failed
to get treatment earlier as the cost was beyond her reach.
“My womb was removed in 2017 but
the cancer had migrated to the breast where it showed up this year. I tried to
find help from private hospitals but they quoted an average of US$2 000 which I
could not afford.
“I then researched about
alternative places where I could undergo treatment and that’s when I discovered
that Karanda Mission Hospital had more reasonable charges. I am grateful that
CHIPAQ responded with seriousness to my situation,” said Tendai.
According to the United States Centre
for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC), breast cancer symptoms include any
change in the size or the shape of the breast, pain in any area of the breast,
nipple discharge other than breast milk (including blood) and lumps in the
breast or underarm.
