How breast cancer took my wife away- CCF boss sadly recounts

The Executive Director of Crime Check Foundation (CCF), Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng has finally revealed the cause of his wife’s death.

This is the first time Mr. Kwarteng is speaking about the demise of his spouse, Amina Oppong Kwarteng.

After being married for over twenty years, the dreaded cancer disease invited death to separate Mr. Kwarteng from his wife, whom she dearly loved.

Though Mr. Kwarteng managed to offer every support needed to save his wife, death still made its way into their union.

Narrating the sad events leading to the demise of Mrs. Kwarteng who has been the inspiration for the generous acts of her husband, Mr. Kwarteng said his wife had a dream through which her death was revealed to her.

This he said was after she had noticed signs of cancer in her breast.

“Three weeks after she had gone for Covid-19 injection, she told me she felt something in her left breast so I asked her to go to the hospital. Unfortunately, doctors at Korle-Bu Teaching hospital told her it was cancer after they carried out diagnosis on her. I was shocked when she told me because she was hearty and healthy. The cancer had affected ten percent of her armpit,” he said.

Saving her began with eight sessions of Chemotherapy prescribed by doctors at Ghana’s premier hospital, Korle-Bu Teaching hospital, which according to Mr. Kwarteng was a difficult moment as his wife underwent the treatment.

He said his late wife had to be flown to Turkey to undergo further treatment.

“She underwent surgery and ten of her lymph nodes were removed because they were affected. After the surgery her left hand got swollen and it caused her pain. She was supposed to undergo fifteen sessions of Radiotherapy treatment but because of the pain, she was made to do Physiotherapy first. The pain was immense and I cried but I did not make her see it. One night she dreamt she had gone to heaven and she described the place as beautiful.

“At a point, she decided to discontinue the treatment after she had dreamt that I had taken her to India for treatment which was expensive so she told me not to pay. In the dream, she wore a black dress and she hugged me,” Mr. Kwarteng recounted.

Mr. Kwarteng said when he followed up to visit his wife in Turkey, her health was fast deteriorating so he immediately arranged for her to be sent to the hospital. He said his late wife struggled to walk so he had to help her. When they got to the hospital and after doctors examination on her, it was revealed that she did not have enough oxygen and her lungs were affected with one almost collapsing.

“The doctors admitted her and started urgent treatment on her. Her condition worsened so she was sent to the Intensive Care Unit where several treatment methods were carried out to save her. During my last visit to her at the ICU, she told me that they have sent a machine to take her away. I did not understand. I also dreamt that she was bidding me goodbye while she climbed a mountain,” he said.

Mr. Kwarteng said the announcement of her spouse’s death by the doctors shattered him.

“I nearly got knocked down by a car in Turkey when the news of her demise was broken to me,” he said.

Mr. Kwarteng said her wife is irreplaceable because of her fear of God and her humility.

A breast cancer awareness creation programme, ‘MEENA BREAST CANCER AWARENESS’ is being set up to offer advocacy on the disease and offer support to patients, an idea borne by Mrs. Kwarteng which she said she would implement when she got well.

May her soul Rest In Peace.

By Rudolph Nandi