Betty Akeredolu, the wife of the late Rotimi Akeredolu, ex-Ondo governor, has opened up about her journey of surviving breast cancer for 27 years.
In a post on X to mark the 2025 World Cancer Day on Wednesday, Betty revealed that she was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer at the age of 44 at the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan.
The 71-year-old described her experience as a “mixed grill of triumph and grief”. While she successfully battled breast cancer, she lost her husband to prostate cancer in December 2023.
Betty attributed her survival to an early diagnosis and lifestyle changes, rather than seeking spiritual help.
She emphasized the importance of early detection, revealing that she presented her case at stage one, with no lymph nodes affected.
Betty said she stopped consuming sugary and starchy foods like soft drinks, eba, pounded yam, amala, akpu, and bread in 2000.
She said instead, she focused on eating veggies, smoothies, green tea, and lean proteins like fish and chicken.
“My experience with cancer is a mixed grill, of triumph and lately of grief, having defeated breast cancer 27 years ago and lost my husband, Aketi, to prostate cancer,” she wrote.
“The major thing that saved me from untimely death at the age of 44 was my mindset. I didn’t believe that my cancer was caused by anybody or spiritual attack. So I didn’t go to church or spiritualist, I went to UCH Ibadan.
“Doctors at UCH handled my case and if I may add, I presented early at stage 1 of the disease. No lymph node was affected, I got to know the implication as I began to read voraciously some medical publications on breast cancer.
“As I read more and attended international conferences, I understood that my longevity after cancer diagnosis depended on my lifestyle.
“If stopping drinking coke and other minerals, swallowing eba, pounded yam, amala and akpu would prolong my life knowing that starchy foods and sugar fuel the growth of cancer, so be it. That was exactly what I did.
“I stopped drinking minerals, no “swallow” and no bread since 2000! My food includes the following: veggies, smoothies, green tea, lemon and ginger tea, beans, moimoi, fish, chicken, snail, occasional rice and zobo drink.”
Betty also highlighted the importance of exercise in her survival story.
“Exercise especially jogging, a flagship activity of BRECAN organised during Pink October also became part of my healthy lifestyle,” she said.
“Connecting with people with shared experience is critical in bringing emotional support in cancer journey.
“It is one of the reasons behind founding BRECAN and to showcase that breast cancer diagnosis is not a death sentence. Today, I’m proudly a 27 year breast cancer survivor, thriving and still counting!”
Betty founded the Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN) to provide emotional and medical support for those battling the disease.