For Benita Egone, the lump on her breast did not initially feel like something that could change the course of her life. In 2020, the certified accountant, former model and mother noticed a lump on the left side of her breast. Having experienced breast lumps before, she initially dismissed it……
For Benita Egone, the lump on her breast did not initially feel like something that could change the course of her life.
In 2020, the certified accountant, former model and mother noticed a lump on the left side of her breast.
Having experienced breast lumps before, she initially dismissed it as nothing unusual.
But this one was different.
“It wasn’t the regular lump,” Benita recalled while speaking to fellows of the 2026 Naija Cancer Watch Fellowship on Wednesday, August 19.
“This particular lump came up on the left side… and it was completely different from the one on my regular breast,” she added.
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The warning became harder to ignore when she noticed dimpling around the affected area. A friend who saw the change advised her to get it checked.
Benita, however, delayed. Then tragedy struck.
Her mother, whom she described as “the number one person in my life that I counted on,” died in May 2020 and was buried two months later.
The loss pushed Benita to finally seek medical attention.
By August, she had undergone scans and eventually met a surgeon who examined her and told her the lump was cancerous. A biopsy was recommended to establish the diagnosis and guide treatment.
The diagnosis shattered her.
“It was devastating. It was terrible. It was bad,” she said.
Her fear was compounded by what she had heard about cancer treatment, particularly chemotherapy. Rather than immediately following through with the recommended treatment, she explored other options and supplements — a decision she now regrets.
Looking back, Benita believes an earlier decision to begin appropriate treatment could have changed the trajectory of her illness.
“I would have gone for my treatment earlier. I should have been able to trust them to start the process. It wouldn’t have gotten to stage four. That’s what I want to say. I should have done the right thing,” she said.
As the years passed, the disease progressed.
In 2022, she was diagnosed at a more advanced stage. By 2023, after another consultation and a CT scan, she received the devastating news that the cancer had become metastatic, with spread to her liver and bones.
“That’s the stage that it’s a matter of life and death. Nobody should get to that stage. If you’ve been diagnosed early enough to start your treatment, do the needful,” Benita said.
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Her journey was not only about battling the disease. It was also a battle against fear, misinformation, financial pressure and the physical consequences of treatment.
One of the most difficult experiences was living with a persistent sore on her breast.
She said the sore affected her confidence and social interactions, making her conscious of being around people because of its smell.
“Having to move around with a sore… that was a big challenge. It got me embarrassed. Like, I wouldn’t want to hug persons because I would believe maybe the odour from the sore would get to them,” she said.
Treatment came with its own challenges, including severe pain, loss of appetite and other side effects. The financial burden was also enormous.
Benita said her treatment, medication, accommodation, transportation and other expenses accumulated into tens of millions of naira, with some treatment periods costing millions of naira.
Her family, particularly one of her younger brothers, became a major source of support.
“He was a big support system,” she said of her brother. “He was a big impact in my journey. I know God sent me a brother.”
But even with support, there were moments when the weight of everything became overwhelming.
At one point, after a difficult period involving her treatment and problems affecting her son, Benita said she lost hope and told God to take her life.
“I actually told God to take my life,” she recalled.
She stopped eating for days and withdrew from those around her. But eventually, she woke up and decided to return to the hospital.
“I woke up and saw I was still alive. That was how I took myself to the hospital. I said, God didn’t want me to die,” she said.
That decision became another turning point in her journey.
Benita eventually continued her treatment and gradually began rebuilding her life.
Her experience also changed her understanding of cancer treatment. She said she initially feared chemotherapy because of the stories she had heard, but later realised that treatment could be managed with proper medical guidance and support.
She now urges people not to allow fear to delay medical attention.
“If you need to go for a diagnosis now, go for your diagnosis, do your prognosis, start your treatment. You will not spend as much as I spent,” she advised.
Her experience with alternative remedies also became a lesson she now shares with others. She recounted stopping her prescribed medication for about a month after being introduced to herbal treatment.
She noted that the decision was followed by complications, including prolonged bleeding, after which she returned to her oncologist and resumed her medication.
For Benita, the experience reinforced the importance of following professional medical advice.
But surviving cancer did not mean that all her struggles ended.
Even after treatment, she continues to take medication and faces the psychological and financial burden that comes with long-term care.
She also had to adjust to life after losing a breast.
Before getting a prosthesis, she improvised by using old socks to create a substitute.
“I would take some of my old socks, put them together, put them on my breast,” she recalled.
Eventually, she obtained a prosthetic breast, which she said made her more comfortable and confident.
“It’s not easy but I was able to get a prosthesis breast. I’m more comfortable. I’m more okay. I don’t need to adjust,” she said.
Yet perhaps the biggest change in Benita’s life has been the discovery of purpose.
After completing treatment, she decided not to keep her experience to herself. She became an advocate and mentor for people living with cancer, using her story to encourage early detection and treatment.
She credits her faith and a message from her pastor with helping her understand that surviving the disease could have a purpose beyond herself.
“I told myself, I think God saved my life for a reason,” she said.
That conviction now drives her advocacy.
Benita has become increasingly concerned about people who hear advice on cancer but fail to act on it. She said one of the biggest challenges she faces as an advocate is convincing people to listen, seek medical attention and take their treatment seriously.
Her message is simple: “do not wait.”
For those who have just received a cancer diagnosis, she says fear should not be allowed to determine their next decision.
“Brace yourself up. Have faith. Trust God,” she said, while urging patients to seek appropriate medical care.
Her story is not one of an easy victory. It is a story of delayed decisions, difficult treatment, financial strain, emotional breakdowns, family support and a determination to stay alive.
And while cancer changed many things about her life, Benita says it also gave her something she did not expect: a new purpose.
Today, she is back to work, social activities, exercise and advocacy. She attends events, speaks to people living with cancer and uses her experience to encourage others.
“I’m back to my normal life,” she said.
For Benita, however, normal life now carries a different meaning.
She knows what it means to ignore a warning sign. She knows what fear can cost. She knows the weight of a diagnosis and the burden of treatment.
And she wants others to learn from her journey before they have to experience it themselves.
Most importantly, she wants people to understand that a cancer diagnosis does not automatically mean the end.
As she put it: “Cancer is not a death sentence.”
