United by Unique

Dec 15, 2024 on Karisimbi Volcano with other 4 volcanoes in the background! Photo by Khris Educates

It was around 2 PM on a Saturday in 2022. We were attending the wedding of an old brother from our neighborhood, someone who had been a pillar of our childhood adventures. He had always been our leader, our protector. Four years ahead of me in school, I remember how, as a first grader, I would get into fights during break time and run to him in fourth grade for safety. No one dared to touch me when he was around. He also was the one who led us into the forest to collect firewood, the one who took us swimming in nature's pool! Inzenga! Those were the golden days, and this wedding was a reunion of all those cherished memories. 

While catching up with childhood memories, someone brought up their cousin who had also grown up in our neighborhood. I had spoken about this cousin before when I shared why I chose to advocate for cancer patients. The conversation, though set in a joyful atmosphere, broke my heart. I learned that a cancer patient I had been following for a year had been given up on by a family that had lost hope. They were simply waiting for the patient's death. That realization hit hard and reinforced on how no one should be left to fight alone. But my patient? Thrived, survived and is alive today! 

In mid-2023, I received a message from an extended family member connecting me to a friend and choir mate traveling from Huye to Butaro for leukemia treatment of her child. That's plus 225 kilometer! Unlike the first case, this patient had a strong support system. Parent and siblings has been there, offering love and care. For a year, the family navigated chemotherapy sessions, endured the ups and down, and held onto hope. Sadly, one afternoon in August 2024, I received the heartbreaking news of my patient's departure. It hurt, but in that pain, I found hope! Having seen an evident progress being made in cancer awareness and support. Because two months earlier, my team and I had completed a study on breast cancer stigma in Rwanda, highlighting how societal attitudes, financial struggles, and social support often determine the patient's experience throughout the journey! 

To every caregiver, I hope you keep going. Your presence means everything to cancer thrivers. Your support, whether as a parent, provider, sibling, friend, colleague, or even a stranger, can make a different in cancer patient's fight. 

As 2024 came to a close, I gained more hope and was inspired once more. A dear friend made a heartfelt gesture, closing their office for a day to drive a breast cancer patient to treatment. The journey was long and challenging, over one of the worst roads left in Rwanda, currently being constructed. Yet, they made it to Butaro Cancer Center of Excellence. Going back, my trusted Butaro motorcyclist guided them on an alternate route, ensuring they avoided the mud. That night, I slept with joy, knowing that the patient had felt truly loved and supported. And I continue to hope that someday soon, the Base - Butaro - Kidaho road will be completed, easing the burden for patients who must travel long and hard distances for care. Thanks to Rwanda's Ministry of Health that is expanding cancer care across referral hospitals in Rwanda. Through it all, may we continue to live, love, and be loved by those who dedicate their time and effort to our well-being. 

On the Saturday of World Cancer Day, celebrated on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, under the theme: "United by Unique," I got an opportunity to meet kids at the Butaro Level 2 Teaching Hospital Oncology Ward. Singing and playing with them, we were reminded the need to place people at the center of care, ensuring that their thriving stories are heard and honored. Every cancer journey is unique like that of the childhood neighbour, the young leukemia fighter, or the beloved parent figure. Yet, in our uniqueness, we must remain united, seeing the person before the disease. 

Once again, I choose to advocate for patients. I will hike more. Cycle more. Pick up the phone. Go on adventures with purpose! Visit hospitals! I will conduct research to push for evidence-based interventions in regards to cancer awareness, early detection, treatment, and social support! Will you join me? If yes, join me on 2025 Mugenzi Adventures with the goal of raising 1M Rwf to help leverage awareness and social support. I believe you would want to celebrate the thriving journeys of cancer survivors, including the neighbor one whose condition was defined a death sentence but is thriving.  Will you adventure with me? or with Les Mugenzi, on an adventure with purpose!? #IAmMugenzi

About the Author: 

Aimable Uwimana holds a Master of Science in Global Health Delivery from the University of Global Health Equity and Bachelor of Arts in Healthcare Management with Concentration in Global Perspectives from Southern New Hampshire University! He is the Chancellor of Les Mugenzi, with an amazing Vice Chancellor - Innocent Mugenzi, on a journey of creating a physically active community in Rwanda. 

You may also like: An Open Letter to Dearest Cancer Patients

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Instagram: @IAmMugenzi | Twitter: @IAmMugenzi | YouTube: @IAmMugenzi | LinkedIn: Mugenzi

Research: 

1. Associations of back muscle endurance with occupational back muscle activity and spinal loading among subsistence farmers and office workers in Rwanda
2. Priorities and barriers for ageing well; results from stakeholders' workshops in rural and urban Rwanda
3. A Strategic Analysis of Health Behavior Change Initiatives in Africa
4. Integrating Breast Cancer Early Detection Into a Resource Constrained Primary Health Care System: Health Care Workers' in Rwanda