Literary Icon, Prof Wole Soyinka, revealed yesterday at a press
conference in Abeokuta Ogun state, that he's a cancer survivor. He said his appointment as a board
member
of the African Cancer Centre made him undergo a routine checkup
last year which revealed he had cancer. He said he was diagnosed with the disease in
December 2013.
"It never occurred to me to test myself because men have their separate
test like women and I have heard people who lost very dear
ones, closed ones. They just told me, ‘Prof, we hope you’re having your
own?’ And I told them I had one 10 years ago and he said, “No, no, do it
regularly.” And by accident in December last year, I discovered that I
had cancer.”.
Prof Soyinka who is cancer free now after
undergoing a vigorous treatment that ended in October this year, said
although he was uncomfortable speaking about his experience, he was
obligated to speak about it now so as to
get rid of the public
perception that being diagnosed with cancer is a death sentence
"For
me, this is not a decision which I like but I felt I have all
obligation, being a member of African Cancer Centre, and also having
even donated a performance during the festival, fund raising for cancer,
I am under obligation to make it known and to also demystify cancer.
Many people feel it is a death sentence. Family feel it; friends,
colleagues, they begin to look at you as if you are a ghost once there
is rumour you have cancer. No, cancer is not a death sentence, it is
curable, I have undergone the treatment and I am able to tell you that I
even have a model, that’s my certificate.” he said
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