How i survived prostrate cancer - Wole Soyinka

NOBEL Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, on
Tuesday, said he was afflicted with prostrate
cancer for 10 months and survived the killer
disease.
Soyinka, flanked by his son, Dr Olaokun Soyinka,
Ogun State Commissioner for Health and his
younger brother, Professor Femi Soyinka and the
President/Founder of the African Cancer Centre, at
a press conference tagged: “Beyond Ebola and
beyond reign of the silent killer,” in Abeokuta, the
Ogun State capital, to demystify the disease, by
saying the disease was curable.
He said he was cured of the disease recently after
he underwent treatment for 10 months, noting that
his decision to make the issue public was borne out
of the moral obligation he felt he owed the society,
especially as a member of the African Cancer
Centre.
He said: “In November, last year, I discovered I had
cancer and have been treating it. I finished
treatment on October 28 and that is why I have
come out to tell you this.
“Many people start looking at you as if you are a
ghost. No! It is not a death sentence and it is
curable. I have undergone treatment and I even
have a certificate and medal to show for it, but I
don’t normally wear decorations.
“I want to use myself to encourage others to take
whatever test available to you in our limited
circumstances here and more importantly, to
encourage those who are in charge of our health to
take cancer menace seriously.”
He urged Nigerians, especially the womenfolk, to go
for regular check and test for cancer, so as to
tackle it before it was too late to manage.
“There are many ways of managing cancer, even
diet. I have had to drink a lot of water and as many
of you may know, water and I are not really
friends,” he said.
Professor Williams lamented the dearth of qualified
oncologists in Nigeria, identifying cancer as a major
disease responsible for capital flight from Nigeria.
“There is not a single Nigerian qualified as a
medical oncologist in this country and yet, we have
220 qualified oncologists of Nigerian descent in the
diaspora.
“Most of these specialists are willing to come back
home and others have interest in the African
Cancer Centre,” he said.