Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, wife of the late former governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, has revealed how she won her 27-year battle against breast cancer.

In a post on X on Wednesday, February 5, to mark World Cancer Day, she attributed her survival to early detection, timely medical intervention, dietary changes, and a strong mindset.

Diagnosed with the disease at 44, she sought medical treatment at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, instead of relying on spiritual solutions.

She recalled having to eliminate meals like eba, amala, akpu, and pounded yam from her diet, driven by her determination to stay alive and raise her young children.

Anyanwu-Akeredolu emphasized the importance of early detection, noting that her cancer was diagnosed at Stage 1 with no lymph node involvement. She added that her educational background played a crucial role in understanding the need for medical intervention and lifestyle changes.

The former Ondo First Lady, whose husband passed away from prostate cancer on December 23, 2023, stressed that maintaining a positive mindset was key to her survival.

Read her story below

My experience with cancer is a mixed grill, of triumph and lately of grief, having defeated breast cancer 27 years ago and just over a year, on December 26, 2023, I lost my husband, Aketi, to prostate cancer. For this conversation, I will tell my story to inform, inspire and empower the public to take action against cancer as an individual or as a community. To begin with, the major thing that saved me from untimely death at the age of 44 was my mindset or belief. I didn't believe that my cancer was caused by anybody let alone by spiritual attack.

So I didn't go to church or spiritualist, I went to University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan. My educational status also enabled me to figure out that cancer is medical issue, nothing more. I was right! Doctors at UCH handled my case and if I may add, I presented early at stage 1 of the disease. No lymph node was affected, I got to know the implication as I began to read voraciously some medical publications on breast cancer such as Cochrane publications etc.

As I read more and attended international conferences, I understood that my longevity after cancer diagnosis depended on my lifestyle. Looking at my children then and how young they were, I was determined to do everything in my power to live inorder to raise them.

If stopping drinking coke and other minerals, swallowing eba, pounded yam, amala and akpu would prolong my life knowing that starchy foods and sugar fuel the growth of cancer, so be it. That was exactly what I did. I stopped drinking minerals, no "swallow" and no bread since 2000! My food includes the following: veggies, smoothies, green tea, lemon and ginger tea, beans, moimoi, fish, chicken, snail, occasional rice and zobo drink. Exercise especially jogging, a flagship activity of BRECAN organised during Pink October also became part of my healthy lifestyle.

Connecting with people especially those with shared experience is critical in bringing emotional support in cancer journey. It is one of the reasons behind founding BRECAN. We now have a community of breast cancer survivors named Team Survivors Nigeria (TSN) for psychosocial support among members and to showcase that breast cancer diagnosis is not a death sentence. Today, I'm proudly a 27 year breast cancer survivor, thriving and still counting!