Donate a ‘Boob’

Would you donate your boob to someone?

Well, in life we are only as brave as our actions. For many breast cancer survivors, breast reconstruction is often the true sign of healing. However, most women cannot afford this life changing procedure and have to live with the stigma and rejection of having breast cancer and end up being defined by a missing boob.

Breast reconstruction involves rebuilding the shape and look of the breast autologous tissue or acquiring prosthetic implants with the goal of reconstructing a natural looking breast.

Breast cancer patients have to undergo mastectomy to mark the end of their cancer treatment. Sadly, for most breast cancer survivors, they cannot afford to undergo breast reconstruction. Women living in slums and rural areas are forced to wear cabbage or banana leaves, shirts, rugs and even socks to cover up their shame.

Rotaract Club of University of Nairobi Lower Kabete Chapter chose to put an end to stigmatize experienced by breast cancer survivors by providing them with knitted artificial breast prosthesis with the aim of boosting the patients self-worth and giving them a better fit in society.

Our club president Santana Akumu went online to see how best we could help cancer survivors. When she came across pictures of knitted prosthetic boobs, she knew this was it. She pitched the idea to our Community Service Director Melvin Kinya and identified Limau Cancer Connection that helps cancer patients by providing them with basic needs such as food, clothes, medical bills and psychological support.

With the help of the organization we were able to acquire yarns used in knitting the boobs and connections to recovered patients who knit the boobs. We held a meeting with the organization and researched on the total cost of making the boobs as well as found a distribution channel for the boobs knitted.

In order to help 40 patients as planned at 1,000 Kenyan shillings for a pair of boobs, we decided to do the project in two phases, fundraise for 20,000 shillings in the first phase then a similar amount in the next phase.

We worked closely with Rotaract Clubs of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Dekut, Limuru and Karen. They were very supportive and cooperative during the project and we are glad to have invited them to join us. Our club members also came in handy in raising money and our mother club, Rotary Club of Nairobi Peponi, helped us reach out to many more beneficiaries. Other clubs that made our project successful are Rotary Club of North Stafford, Rotaract Club of Thika Technical and Rotaract Club of Management University of Africa.

Together we were able to raise 70,750 shillings for the project and the club made contact with the ladies knitting the boobs from Dandora. They knitted 80 boobs at 20,000 shillings. Another 60 boobs are in production.

All the clubs represented collected the boobs from the knitters and delivered them to Cancer Care Kenya who have a list of trustworthy beneficiaries of the breast prosthesis and gives them out in three hospitals; AIC Kijabe Hospital in Kijabe, Nakuru PGH in Nakuru and Cancer Care Kenya in Nairobi.

Our second phase of the project was to involve ladies who have undergone breast reconstruction through 3D Areola Tattoo, an amazing procedure that mimics the areola. This phase is on hold as we look for more partner clubs.