What You Need to Know About Breast Cancer

The human body is made of tiny building blocks called cells. Your body creates them, replacing those that die with new ones. Usually, the body creates healthy, normal cells that do just what they're supposed to do. This includes cells in the breasts, the two rounded areas on the front of the chest.

But if a cell changes into an abnormal, sometimes harmful form, it can divide quickly over and over again without dying, making many, many copies of itself. When tumor, abnormal body cells grouped together in the form of a mass or lump, can start to form and grow.
this happens, a
Breast cancer is a kind of tumor that develops in the cells of a person's breast. You may think that only women can get breast cancer, but because all people have breast tissue, men can get breast cancer as well — though this is very rare.
A tumor can form anywhere in the body. Someone has cancer when those abnormal cells will not stop growing, and then cause sickness in the body.
Someone with breast cancer may have cancer cells in just one part of the breast, which might be felt as a lump. The cancer can spread throughout one or both breasts. Sometimes breast cancer spreads to other parts of the body, like the bones, the liver, or elsewhere.
Any woman can get breast cancer, but doctors have found that certain factors make some women more likely to get it.

• Family history: A woman whose mother, sister, aunt, or daughter has had breast cancer is more likely to get breast cancer.
• Age: As women get older, they are more at risk for breast cancer. Teens — as well as women in their twenties and thirties — are less likely to get breast cancer.
• Diet and lifestyle choices: Women who smoke, eat high-fat diets, drink alcohol, and don't get enough exercise may be more at risk for developing breast cancer.

A woman who has breast cancer may have no problems, or she may find a painless lump in her breast. If women examine their breasts monthly, they can help find lumps or other changes that a doctor should examine.
Most breast lumps are not cancer, but all lumps should be checked out by a doctor to be sure. Breast lumps that are not cancer may be scar tissue or cysts (fluid-filled lumps or sacs) or they can be due to normal breast changes associated with hormone changes or aging.
Girls who are beginning puberty might notice a lump underneath the nipple when their breasts start developing. Usually, this is a normal. You can ask a parent or your doctor about it to be sure.

New Beginning!

"Today in Ghana; all basic schools officially resumes from the usual long vacation. Some may have missed school activities and friends, others wished not to go back again due to personal issues with a teacher or probably school not being friendly.
It is a new beginning and a joyful one to those transiting from one stage to other. well, to those who are not academically good and had to resit, it is a chance to do better next time though it hurts sometimes.
As we go back to school; Who has thought of our dear friends with physical challenge(s)? Are they going back to enjoy discrimination in pain, suffer from climbing that tall stairs to get to class?

What preparation has our dear parents made to support us and make sure we enjoy this new academic year, and make the best out of it? Are our books ready,  has our previous fees and the current fees been paid? Do we still have to put on that torn uniform for another term? Or the money to put all these in place has been used to purchase cloth for funeral and the upcoming party? Uhm;  just want to ask.
And that reminds me; are our schools furnished? Is the restroom well equipped to protect the privacy of girls? They matter a lot. I've missed practical, is the lab ready for use. Excuse me, a second please, will the period for physical education be exchanged with Mathematics since it is seen to be so important than every subject? Myself and friends have the right to play!
If I find answers to all these questions, and the right investment is done, I will enjoy this new academic term, and never feel reluctant to go to school. And with the support of my parents and their supervision, I will develop fully and reach my full potential".
By: A concerned Child.
Source(facebook): Abrampa.com
#QualityEducation
#GenderEquality
#Development
#InclusiveEducation
Share widely and let's find answers to this question. The child needs you.

“I told him to stop. He thought I was joking. I froze"

                

                                                    

It took a long time for Kristina Erickson to realize that she had been raped in a dorm at Beloit College.

“We were kind of wrestling around,” she said. “Things turned more sexual. I told him to stop. He thought I was joking. I froze.”
Afterward, she brushed it off. But later, in her senior year, a flashback crystallized what had gone wrong, and she broke down sobbing.
Not long afterward, in the crowded basement of a fraternity house during a party, a drunk man stuck his hand up her skirt as Erickson — totally sober — was walking past. She grabbed his hand, shoved it away and yelled at him to never touch her again. In that case, she filed a complaint with the college.
Erickson later wrote an essay for the student newspaper in which she disclosed that her mother had been raped while she was a student at Beloit in the 1980s.
“I am a legacy child in more ways than one,” she wrote, “and I have inherited the rape culture on our campus that I’m sure she prayed would be gone by the time I got here.”
Erickson, 23, graduated from Beloit in 2013 and teaches high school English in the Phoenix area.

Source:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/local/sexual-assault/

In this situation what do you do?

Most often we find ourselves in situations and just like Erickson's case the guy would think you are joking. Not to be harsh on her but then if She kept insisting and was firm in her NO you would agree the guy wouldn't have continued. Or better still she could have screamed and shouted he would have seen the seriousness in her NO.

Most often we don't know how to say and be firm in saying NO. Today you have learnt something on how to negotiate NO and be firm in saying NO. When persuasion fails, force is applied so if you saying it softly and the person is not stopping, apply force by shouting and being firm in saying NO if possible, push him or her off and flee!

#EndSexualViolence #NOW

Living with Diabetes….from junior high to senior high

My name is Mercy.  I am 17 years of age, I come from a small village named Assin Fosu in the Central Region of Ghana. I was very young when my mother and I realized that things are not going on well with me. I used to eat a lot of food but always lose weight, drink a lot of water and at the same time I urinate a lot especially at night. My mum and I were very worried and she thought it could be a spiritual illness. I was sent to  many hospitals for check-ups but still experienced the same problems as they did not diagnose me.
A friend of my mom advised my mom to send me to a prayer camp for deliverance, she did exactly that  unfortunately while at the prayer camp one sunny day I went into coma and was rushed quickly to Assin Fosu St. Francis Xavier hospital. That was where I was diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic after I had gone through some laboratory test. I regained consciousness after a few days and I was told by the nurses that I had a strange disease known as “diabetes” and that am not supposed to take in any food containing “sugar”.
When they told me about this, I wasn’t shocked or surprised because I have an uncle who also has diabetes and had seen him on a number of ocassions injecting himself. I felt very proud and bold enough to tell my close friends that I had diabetes.
I am now a matured person and about to start a new life in the Senior High School (SHS). I am a boarder and almost everybody knows what goes on in the boarding school.  Things are very difficult in terms of food and my medication. I didn’t think of these problems initially because I knew “diabetes won’t stop me”. Since I inject my insulin often and eat a very good and balance diet food I am always fit as fiddle.
My friends and teachers know I have diabetes mellitus (DM) so they always check on me and also make sure I take my insulin all the time. My best friend also advises on my diet and tries to help me eat healthy.
I sometimes get bored and feel worried because when a friend or family member invites me to a party, in the first place I always remember what the nurses told me about diabetes so I always put that in mind. Sometimes I don’t want to go because all that is served there are drinks which have high sugar contents and I can not drink those.  I can’t seem to have fun with them when I don’t eat or drink what they are also having, so many times I rather stay at home.

I will like to take this great opportunity and advantage to advice my fellow teachers to take good care of students living with diabetes and other chronic illnesses. They should also learn a bit more about the problems that living with diabetes also have, like hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) or also to be able to recognize when their blood sugars go really high in school.  This could safe the lives of some of the young ones, since teachers spend the longest times with the children, they may be able to diagnose or identify some of the problems which the young diabetics may go through during classes.  A teacher should be able to quickly manage a child with low blood sugar, or help the child in boarding school to inject their insulin and eat healthy.

Teachers should also treat all the students equally whether or not they have chronic diseases like diabetes, make them comfortable so that being in school will not be a problem at all.

I will also like to advise my friends living with diabetes and those who are not living with it that they should take good care of themselves very well especially with the DM patients. They should inject their insulin and go for check-ups on a regular basis and I bet them that everything would be perfect with them.
It is my dream to become a “FASHION DESIGNER” in the near future.
#DIABETESWON’TSTOPUS#

Source: http://www.diabetesyouthcare.org/living-with-diabetes-from-junior-high-to-senior-high/

TWO LIVES NOW COMPLICATED

Seventeen year old Juliana sits in a pensive mood in front of a wooden structure which serves as a kitchen for her mother in-law.  She is still grieving over the death of her six month old baby girl who had died two days earlier. “She had a temperature in the evening so I took her to a man who said her rib had shifted.”  Juliana said “He then applied some medication and massaged her rib. I woke up at dawn and my baby was dead.”

Juliana didn’t have a lot of choices growing up. She is one of the many siblings her father refused to take care of. The responsibility was then laid at the door step of her mother who is jobless.
“Because my father didn’t take care of me I didn’t know what to do whether I went to school or not I didn’t have anybody to give me anything.” She said
Now she lives with her boyfriend Abdul Razak who is only twenty years old and unemployed. Juliana’s situation may be similar to that of many girls in rural areas across the country who are faced with many challenges as they grow up into adolescents. Many of such adolescents at very tender ages are forced to survive in the midst abject poverty.
In Juliana’s case, she turned to Abdul Razak who gave her some financial support. But as Razak claims he couldn’t continue to support Juliana without sleeping with her. “She is my girlfriend, somebody you give money to, you cannot just watch her spend all your money. Just that we didn’t anticipate pregnancy anytime soon” Abdul Razak and Juliana though sexually active had no or little knowledge about how to protect themselves not just from pregnancy but also from sexually transmitted diseases.
Even though their first baby has died, the two do not plan to abstain from sex especially now that they live together. Juliana has no clue about the options available for protection.  Abdul Razak on the other hand didn’t use condoms the first time because his friends told him “condoms leak” and so it is better to have sex without any protection.
The result of parental neglect and the decision by Abdul Razak has cost both him (Abdul Razak) and Juliana the chance of an education and a better life as they both continue to wallow in poverty and keep wondering what next to do with their lives.

Adolescence is a whole new stage in our lives. It is a time the body undergoes various changes and so many decisions need to be made. However, there is always a choice better than what may seem obvious depending on your circumstance. That is why it is important to do away with shyness and ask all the questions you habour. It is important to know where and who to direct these questions to. Friends may seem like a good option because they are your mates and may understand you better, but they may not have the best of advice to offer. It is important to talk to an adult. It can be a teacher, parent, or a health worker. Remember it is important that you stay in school no matter what. Are you a sexually active Adolescent?

Talk to a trained service provider and counsellor. Call or WhatsApp 020 580 2800
or Visit an Adolescent friendly corner near you!

CARE FOR THE PENIS

The penis is one vital organ for men but women are equally interested in its affair just as men are to the vagina.
The penis must be kept healthy at all times to prevent infection or erectile issues or even affect sperm production. Here are some few points to note.
1. Cleaning the penis.
When bathing, kindly take your time when you get to the penis. Unfortunately, a lot of guys rush or even skip that part and just pour water there. Do you know there are a lot of guys who bath once a day and some dont even bath at all? You can imagine what happens in their panties and boxers. Do not be in a hot or very warm water for a longer period of time as this can temper with sperm production by raising the temperature of the testicles.

2. Check for lumps
Just as women check for lumps by doing self breast examination, men must also do testicular examination. This can be done once a month usually after a warm bath as this will make the scrotum more relaxed or you can make it a habit and do it each once a day.

3. Shake very well.
After urinating, some people do not shake the penis well or at all. This is a bad habit as the urethra may contain some of the urine especially at the meatus or the tip of the penis. If it is not well shook and the pant is worn, it will be wiped by the pant and depending on how long you stay in it, can cause a bad odour and germ. The pant will sooner or later change colour at where the penis rests in the pant.

4. Free range
Ensure that the panties are made of cotton which will give aeration. The penis is usually supported or kept in a ''cell'' the whole day so with all due respect, grant it bail in the night when about to sleep for some fresh air. In other words wear something loose fitting at night and if possible go naked. Wearing tight fitting jeans for long hours can also raise the temperature the testicles require to produce healthy sperms.

5. Avoid the forest.
Don't keep the pubic hair bushy otherwise it becomes difficult to clean the skin. When one sweats, it gathers there so if it's not properly cleaned it can smell and garther germs.

NB: By keeping the penis clean and healthy, you prevent any bacteria from being around the penis. If this is not done, the penis can carry germs to the vagina if unprotected sex is engaged.
Avoid sexual intercourse if the penis produces an unusual discharge with bad odour or when there are sores on the penis. If you go ahead, you will be putting the life of the woman you are having sex with in danger. Use a condom to protect yourself and your sexual partner(s).

By: Counsellor Michael Tagoe
0240958836

SEX POSITIONS AND HIV

There are certain sex positions that must be avoided in order to prevent HIV and other Sexually Transmitted Infections. 

When a person is infected with HIV or other STIs, the semen or the vaginal fluid gets contaminated. This therefore means these fluids must be avoided to prevent getting infected.

The condom is very effective when it comes to having a protective sexual intercourse. However, what most people do not know is that even if you have your condom on and you use certain sex positions it can lead to infection. A typical example is woman on top position or cowgirl position. In these two positions, the woman goes on top of the man. Even if the man is protected by the condom, due to the position of the woman her vaginal fluid in the course of the penetration or thrusting the vaginal fluid will drip on the condom to the scrotum and the skin around it. If the woman is infected and there is any opening around those areas or skin of the man, infection is highly possible. If you don't know sex positions by name then you may be at sea so just get it from this angle...even when you wear the condom, avoid any sex position that can cause the vaginal fluid from dripping and getting on the skin as this can lead to infection. By: Counsellor Michael Tagoe