As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the GPSA Ediboard hosted a moving and memorable webinar that centered on courage, faith, and survival. The event brought together students, and advocates to listen, learn, and be inspired by the testimony of Madam Patricia Essel, a breast cancer survivor and founder of the Patbella Hope Foundation.
The session opened with a touching prayer from Miss Christabel Ntiwaa after which the moderators, Miss Mariam Agyemang and Miss Yaa Serwaa welcomed participants. They introduced the theme of the evening: spreading awareness, celebrating survivors, and emphasising early detection.
Following this, Miss Mariam formally introduced the guest speaker, Mrs. Patricia Essel. She outline the session’s format as an interactive storytelling and Q&A, designed for Mrs. Patricia to share her profound journey, allowingthe audience to draw key insights and inspiration directly from her experience. Echoing this, Miss Yaa Serwaa encouraged everyone to listen with open hearts and reflect on the lessons that would emerge from the story.
With sincerity and composure, Madam Patricia took the audience through her journey, one marked by fear, faith, and unshakeable resolve. Her story began in January 2024, when she first noticed troubling signs and was advised to take a biopsy. This initiated a challenging three-week waiting period filled with prayer and uncertainty. The awaited results, which confirmed the growth was malignant, arrived after a protracted three-week period. Mrs. Patricia described the moment as surreal, stating, “It felt like a dream. I was confronted with so many uncertainties. Fear was one of the strongest feelings, fear of the unknown.”
Subsequent questioning made her open up about her deep concern for her family, as she was the breadwinner for her immediate past household. She also revealed how her faith was tested during the period on receiving the diagnosis and confessed she felt rejected by God in her statement, “I thought I was God’s favourite kid.” After this period of crisis, she was able to undergo some form of reconstruction where her faith became her lifeline. She admitted also that in periods of renewal, her achor of hope was Jesus Christ sharing a powerful line of strength she leaned on, “I believe that no matter your background, God will never give you a temptation you cannot handle”.
When asked who supported her besides God, she recounted how her husband became her rock. He was the first to see the biopsy results, and though the news was heavy, ‘Invasive Metastatic Carcinoma’, he tried to shield her from the full weight of it at first. He arranged for her cousin and aunt to be with her when she receives the news. Her aunt later took her to her home so she wouldn’t be alone during those dark days.
The whole journey towards healing was not easy. It was draining, emotionally and physically. She noted, “My palms, tongue, and nails were black and hurting. I lost my hair, I used to have very long hair. I went through about 30 sessions of radiation, and these were all side effects.” It was a period of prayer, treatment, and emotional strength. “Everyone — family, friends, even pastors — prayed with me,” she shared. “But I also understood that as a believer, you must do the physical even as you do the spiritual. The doctors were part of God’s plan.”
The support of her faith provided a strong foundation, allowing her to meet the challenge of illness with prayer, spiritual peace, and the comfort of her family, support group, and community. Mrs. Patricia spoke on how her pain led to purpose, changed her narrative and shaped the founding of the Patbella Hope Foundation.
As the evening drew to a close, Miss Jereden Dornyo delivered both the closing remarks and vote of thanks, expressing deep appreciation to Mrs. Patricia for sharing her journey and to all who participated. The session ended with a heartfelt closing prayer led by Miss Yaa Serwaa, leaving everyone inspired and reflective. The webinar was not merely an awareness campaign; it was a celebration of life, faith, and renewed hope, a reminder that even in pain, there can be purpose, and through faith, healing becomes possible.
Reported by
Joel Mordzifa.