How Avoiding Eba, Amala, Akpu, Coke saved Me From Breast Cancer Diagnosed 27yrs Ago - Akeredolu's Widow

By Dansu Peter  Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, the widow of former Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, has revealed that eliminating starchy foo...

By Dansu Peter 

Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, the widow of former Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, has revealed that eliminating starchy foods and sugary drinks played a vital role in her survival after being diagnosed with breast cancer 27 years ago.  

Reflecting on her journey, she shared that her decision to stop consuming staples like eba, amala, akpu, and pounded yam was driven by a strong will to stay alive and raise her young children.  

In a social media post on Wednesday to mark World Cancer Day, she described her experience as a “mixed grill of triumph and lately of grief.” She emphasized how lifestyle changes, research, and medical treatment contributed to her recovery.  

“If avoiding Coke and other sugary drinks, as well as eba, pounded yam, amala, and akpu, could extend my life—knowing that starchy foods and sugar fuel cancer growth—then so be it. That’s exactly what I did. I stopped drinking soft drinks, cut out ‘swallows,’ and haven’t eaten bread since 2000!” she wrote.  

Since making those dietary changes, Anyanwu-Akeredolu has embraced a nutrition plan focused on vegetables, smoothies, green tea, lemon and ginger tea, beans, moimoi, fish, chicken, snail, occasional rice, and zobo drink.  

The former Ondo First Lady, whose husband succumbed to prostate cancer on December 23, 2023, stressed that a positive mindset was crucial to her survival. She credited her choice to seek medical care at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, instead of turning to spiritual healers, as a significant factor in her recovery.  

She also underscored the importance of early detection, noting that identifying her cancer at stage 1 greatly improved her chances of survival.  

As the founder of the Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN), Anyanwu-Akeredolu highlighted the impact of Team Survivors Nigeria (TSN), a support group for breast cancer survivors, in spreading awareness and offering support.