By Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o
Fifteen years ago, I sat in a doctor’s office and heard words that would change the trajectory of my life: prostate cancer. It is a moment that strips you bare. It confronts you with your own fragility, with the terrifying silence of mortality.
In that darkness, however, something remarkable happened. Mama Kisumu, Dorothy Nyong’o, and I made a solemn vow not only to survive, but to ensure that no Kenyan, regardless of the weight of their purse or the emptiness of their pockets, would have to walk the cancer journey alone, abandoned and without hope. That vow became the Africa Cancer Foundation.
Today, under the weight of memory and the warmth of gratitude, we gathered to mark our 15th Anniversary under a theme that speaks to the very core of our humanity: “Own Your Cancer Story.” We were honoured to be joined by Dr Gladwell Kiarie as Chief Guest, alongside the dedicated Board and staff who have carried this torch through storm and sunshine, friends, relatives, survivors, donors, partners and supporters.
I was reminded, with tears in my eyes, of why we began this journey. Our mission is not abstract. It is flesh and blood. It is the mother in Kilifi who cannot afford chemotherapy. It is the young man in Kibra who fears the diagnosis more than the disease itself. It is to restore hope, uphold dignity, and provide quality cancer care to every single one of them.
Over these fifteen years, standing shoulder to shoulder with our partners who believe in the impossible, we have done what many said could not be done. We have advanced policies that once seemed beyond reach. We have expanded screening and awareness to villages where cancer was once spoken about only in whispers. We have proven, with the stubborn persistence of those who have looked death in the eye, that advocacy transforms systems, while service changes lives.
Our commitment burns as fiercely today as it did in that doctor’s office fifteen years ago. In Kisumu, we are strengthening the very foundation of cancer care through the soon-to-be-realised Chun Jeong Un Nyong’o Cancer Centre. We fully support the establishment of Kenya’s first public bone marrow transplant programme at JOOTRH, a beacon of hope for countless families who have long been told to look elsewhere, or to simply give up. And we are embracing innovations that will bring early detection within reach of every Kenyan, not just the privileged few.
Today, we also launched the Africa Cancer Foundation’s Mobile Clinic, bringing life-saving cancer screening closer to communities through outreach in markets and other public spaces.
As we celebrate this milestone, I do so not with the triumph of conquest, but with the quiet resolve of one who knows the battle is far from over. We renew our solemn commitment to building a future where cancer is detected early, more lives are saved, and where every Kenyan can face this journey with the dignity, hope, and support they deserve.
This is not just my story. It is our story, and I urge every one of you to own it. Own your story!
