I met this pretty lady some 2 years ago. I was actually fascinated by her demeanour despite her ordeal as a breast cancer survivor.  She was determined to live against all odds. She immediately became my adopted sister. We communicated occasionally, I noticed she started to glow and was more radiant. I asked her jokingly to let me into her secret. She told me she was in a relationship and I leapt for joy.

We met in February and she narrated her story, though still looking as radiant as ever. I asked if she would be kind enough to share this story in her words. She replied with so much excitement, she further said she will attach her picture as well.  This is her story>

“I met a guy in 2015 who claimed he loved me and was very interested in me. We became good friends and he was always calling me and he became chatty and later confessed his love for me.

We went out on a date in January and got talking. He told me he got fascinated by my breasts as that was what got him attracted to me. I was very free with him. I later asked him what he would do if he found out that my breasts were not what he had imagined. He insisted that his love for me was real. So, I unbuttoned my shirt and showed him the real picture. I took time to explain in detail all I went through to survive the trauma of losing a breast to cancer.

Your guess is as good as mine. He immediately stopped all forms of communication with me. I have not set my eyes on him. When I called him, he said he was not in town. What a world!”

I read her story and asked myself what exactly is love? It does not matter if we find love and then lose it, the most important love is the love we have for ourselves. How can we love ourselves? By taking care of our health, and by watching out for the other women in our lives. Lovers will come and go. How about you? Where will you go? Be safe. Love yourself. Check your breasts regularly and encourage others to do the same. If you are a survivor, share your story. You are not a victim, you are a survivor. No matter what you have been through, true love will find you. And it will stay.

Ebun Anozie is the Founder of COPE, a national organisation dedicated to education, information, awareness and treatment advocacy for breast cancer.