JOHANNESBURG - Cape Town surgeon Dr Fatima Hoosain is urging women to break stigma and self-test or seek help for troubling symptoms.
During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, she is spotlighting cultural taboos, some communities, she says, still see breast cancer as witchcraft or punishment. Hoosain wants women to put their health first.
Hoosain emphasizes the the stigma and stereotypes around breast cancer as one of the leading causes behind the more devastating effects of breast cancer.
She mentions that after a mastectomy some women, especially in rural areas, feel that they are less of a woman or half a man.
"We want patients to screen if it is possible or at least self-examine so that you can diagnose the tumor as soon as there is a lump. and of course go an seek help immediately because that's when you need it.' says Dr. Hoosain.
According to Hoosain, this is advice that not only saves lives but it also saves breasts and a lot of the negative emotion that come with breast cancer. She says that all of this, including the stigma, can be changed with early detection.