When you see a woman you have no idea what she is going through! This video of Tosin Ogunbanjo’s amazing testimony of healing and strength was the first time many of us got a glimpse of what she had just been through. She shared how she came out stronger from her cancer diagnosis and treatment. LagosMums had a chance to chat with Tosin as she shared her story with us to encourage someone.
Hearing the testimony you can’t help but be filled with a sense of wonder of how she found her strength! Her testimony is truly one of “I am standing here only because you made a way!”.
Read more about Tosin Ogunbanjo’s amazing testimony
How did you find out?
About a year ago I noticed I was feeling more tired and weak, I also felt some boils under my arm. I didn’t think too much of all these symptoms. I thought I was tired because I am a mother of three energetic children, in a full-time job and running a side business. Thank God my Husband was insistent that I see the Doctor.
[Tweet “I didn’t think too much of being tired cause I’m a mother of three energetic children”]
I went to the Doctor and was told my iron levels were very low and my blood pressure was high, and that combination was probably responsible for the tiredness. As for the so-called boils, those were diagnosed as lymph nodes. The next course of action was to surgically remove them to test if they were cancerous. In addition to this they ran several other tests like MRI, Mammograms etc. desperately trying to figure out what they were.
What was the Diagnosis?
I got a call from the Doctor one afternoon and he sounded very worried, he said “I’m closing in an hour, but I will wait for you to come in for the results”. My heart shook, I knew it couldn’t be good cause he couldn’t tell me over the phone. So I went there straight from work and he told me I had Metastatic Breast Cancer. I didn’t know what that meant exactly but the sound of cancer was very scary.
I sat there watching him like a stone I didn’t shed a tear, I just called my husband, so the Doctor could explain to him what was going on. My husband very calmly asked so what is the next step? And the Doctor said suggested I begin Chemotherapy immediately. I thanked him for seeing me and got out of there as fast as I could and went back to the office like nothing had happened.
What was your first reaction?
I really didn’t believe the diagnosis, I was convinced that when I got to the U.S. I would be told a different diagnosis. The fear was crippling, and I cried a few times, but I would convince myself that this was not possible. We made immediate plans to go to Houston Texas for a second opinion and we were in dire need of a miracle.
As soon as my family heard the report they began to put resources together and everything started moving very quickly. I wanted the Doctor to just start afresh without being biased with the previous results. As a result I tried as much as possible to keep them in the dark. But my scars gave me away, they could see from my arm that a surgery was performed not too long ago and they did not want to waste time too much time by repeating tests. I showed them previous results and their main quest was to find out what type of Cancer it was to decide what type of treatment was required.
From what they could see, they were convinced it was cancer. They decided on a surgery for August 2017 to remove the remaining lymph nodes and the Primary tumour which was now more obvious in my breast. I thought I could go home after healing from the surgery because after all the primary tumor and the lymph nodes had all been removed; but nothing prepared me for what was about to happen next.
The Journey to my treatment
I got the worst call telling me to cancel any travel plans as I would need to be here for another seven months. They called it stage 2b triple negative Breast cancer and was told it was a very aggressive type, but thankfully they caught it early, so they needed to move fast. The treatment plan was three hours of chemotherapy treatment every 2 weeks followed by six weeks of daily Radiotherapy. My sister came to pick me from the clinic that day and I broke down on her shoulders and cried. My sister kept saying “You’ve been so strong so far don’t cry we will fight this thing”.
I knew how strong these treatments were and how many people lost their hair or their lives. I cried and prayed most nights wondering what I had done wrong. As well as wondering how I would survive this gruesome experience I was about to encounter. However, I came to realise that when you’re going through a valley it’s not about what you did but what you’re about to do that’s under attack.
A friend shared a testimony shared by the famous Christian singer Darlene Zschech who went through Cancer and was sharing what she went through. I cried through that testimony and decided to have a journal like her and keep writing down the promises of God. My mother and my baby girl came to join me as I needed a strong support system. She was there as a rock, a prayer warrior and my health concoction supplier. My sweet daughter was there to remind me of the Love of Christ and to keep me occupied and distracted from the circumstances with her sweetness overdose.
[Tweet “Before every chemotherapy treatment we would take holy communion”]
Managing The Treatments and Chemo
Before every chemotherapy treatment we would take holy communion and pray the scripture in Mark about the signs that follow those that believe, that if we drink anything deadly it won’t harm us. I could relate with this because the drugs being given were so strong that I was made to use a different restroom and flush twice. My skin turned several shades darker, I lost all my hair just after the first treatment and I lost a lot of weight. I also felt very weak and tired. Some drugs after being given would immediately cause a brain freeze like you just had the coldest ice Lolly in the world. Others would make my insides feel itchy. But through it all we were taking a position of faith that our God would see us through.
There were several other people in the chemotherapy room all getting their medication directly into their body via a port surgically inserted under our skin. It was like being in a silent gathering where our minds spoke instead of our mouths. We all wondered about the other person, how did this happen to you? What type of cancer do you have? Is this your first time around? As we sat there for hours, people would sleep from the medication and have their family by their side.
I remember my first treatment so vividly, I cried for hours and wrote in my journal and listened to songs of Victory. Regardless of how I was feeling I decided I would never go to my appointments looking defeated, but I would drive myself to the appointments and make- up like I was going to a party. I did this to make myself feel good and most importantly to let the enemy know that you can’t touch this because my God has already won this battle for me.
I didn’t know I would lose all my hair so suddenly, but as soon as it started falling off, I got the clippers and shaved it all myself. You must get in front of the situation and not keep reacting to the circumstances but take charge of it. I would joke to my friends that I weigh less now since all that hair is gone or that I now see why men are happier than women because they can feel water on their scalp every day.
The strangest of all was one medication that required me to keep my hands and feet in ice while taking it, to reduce long term nerve damage. This was a tough challenge because I had to numb my brain from telling my body how cold it was, but for 2 hours keep my hands and feet in and out of it. This mind-numbing business was not new to me because I had to condition my mind to stop reacting to the pain and the news but set my mind on Christ. Like Isaiah 50:7 says Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.
How Did You Manage The Bills
After a month of bills, I knew I had to get on some type of health insurance because the bills were going through the roof. The challenge was it was not enrolment season so unless I could prove that I had just arrived in the U.S less than 60 days and that my previous insurance had ended they wouldn’t enrol me. Thankfully I was able to meet the requirements and got on Insurance before my second treatment. We got support from family and friends. In addition, once you mention that you are self-pay, you are entitled to discounts.
On How She Kept Up Her Strength and Faith
For me, being away from my husband and my sons was very difficult, I love family time and now I was being deprived of that. I wanted a quick treatment plan, so I could return home to them, and I prayed for instant healing. After all, I had heard of stories of faith of people that their lumps instantly disappeared, and wanted that for myself.
I really felt God had abandoned me, and I would cry and say “God I thought you loved me”. Then one day the Holy Spirit led me to read about Naaman in 2 kings 5. Naaman was just like me he wanted to be healed in a faster way. He did not like the idea of having to go to some dirty river. God spoke to my spirit and said “I promised I would heal you but You don’t get to choose my method”. To one blind man he healed him instantly, the other he healed in stages so just trust me. I wrote about God’s promises in my journal and held on to them.
My husband was my God given Lifeline because he would always strengthen me with Gods word and pray for me. One night I called him crying because I was so sick and tired of the nausea. I was complaining to him about how my nails were so black, I had no hair, my teeth were sensitive and so on….; and he would say to me “Tosin don’t worry about all these things they will revert. You have the life of Christ on your inside and that means Greater is he that is in you than in the world”.
The Importance of Support
I have been blessed to be part of an intimate prayer group called Purple and Linen. It’s a close group of women that pray and share about everything via Skype once a week. Here I felt free to cry and speak openly about my fears. We would pray about it and I always felt encouraged and energised afterwards.
I found strength in dedicating my time to working closely with the choir. They were not aware of the situation, and we had wonderful ministrations and teachings together. We sang songs like “You made a way” by Travis Greene and “Ready for Overflow” by Tasha Cobbs.
My mother made me walk every day during the treatments. That was both frustrating and painful, but anyone who knows my mother knows she is very persistent. She would also make me some all-natural power juices every morning and that made me feel physically stronger. Acupuncture was a great way to boost my strength and help me relax. It also helped with my appetite when I couldn’t stand the smell and taste of food.
It was important for me to spend time doing things I love, so cooking was a welcome distraction. I spent several hours a day trying out new recipes and joined some cooking classes to brush up on my skills. I enjoyed quality time with my family. Everyday is a wonderfully wrapped up gift that is waiting to be opened and enjoyed.
One day I walked into a store and shortly after heard a loud sound outside. I rushed outside and to my surprise strong hail had hit the ground hard. About 5 minutes after came a beautiful rainbow which I felt was a sign from God. God was telling me that he never left me and while what I went through felt like hail, his promises stand.
On Doctors
One Doctor wondered why this was happening. “You are too young to have cancer with no prior history in your family, could it be bad luck”? He said. I honestly wish I could have replied him.
I wish I had said to him that I might look young, but I have a Giant inside me who will fight this battle for me. However, in that moment I was to shocked to respond.
On Victory
When it was all over we went out to celebrate with some Amala, ewedu and gbegiri and thanked Jesus for seeing me through. After all the pain, sickness torture to my body I can still live another day to tell this story. I am still standing by his grace. Cancer is not the Big C, the Big C is Christ who holds all power in his hands.
By his grace I have now become a credible witness. To tell the world that Jesus is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:25)
How Has This Changed Tosin’s Outlook on Life
I remember the first day my 18 month old baby girl saw my bald head, we just had a shower and I knelt to dry her. She patted my head with her two hands like it was a ball and laughed hysterically. I joined in on the laughter and decided to stop taking myself too seriously. People are always afraid of what people think of them. Now I only care about what God says about me and he says I am more than a conqueror.
The old Tosin is gone and the bolder and better version has emerged. This experience has drawn me closer to Christ; because I would not have survived if I did not have him in my life. I’ve learnt to Love harder and be more compassionate. I realised that none of the things we think matter do. We buy stuff we don’t need yet we can’t use any of those stuff when we are sick. So how important are those things to begin with?
I treasure every day and make it count by using the time to serve God. This is what I will use all my remaining days for; as I am now a credible witness of the power of God. I have tasted it.
Trials come to make us stronger and to showcase the power of God in our lives. The suffering we go through is nothing compared to the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:18). I am excited about the future and ready for Overflow. Eyes haven’t seen, and ears haven’t heard what God has in store for those that Love God.
On Helping Others
My mother always says we should not ignore medical facts but to subject them to prayer. This is an important message because many people ignore the signs their body is giving them and do nothing. I am now very careful about what I eat; I see the right foods as cheap medication in advance of any illness. After a lot of research about different foods, I adjusted my diet big time; added foods high in antioxidants and eliminated most foods high in sugar.
[Tweet “I see the right foods as cheap medication in advance of any illness.”]
My vlog called living above storms; is to help people going through storms know that storms don’t stay forever. The plan is to share my personal experiences in detail and help others go through their challenges. I am working on a memoir to share how to deal with storms using our words and actions. It was God who gave me the supernatural strength to serve him and others; while trusting him to make me whole. I know that I’m alive to be a witness about how faithful God is in all circumstances.
Many people will not share their personal stories of what they have come through. I share this very personal story for many of the people that have overcome one problem or the other. Do not ever let anything overwhelm you or make you feel like giving up. You cannot stop living while you’re still living.
I may have lost all my hair; but I did not lose my head and that is where most of the battle is.
Wow! We Praise God for you Tosin. Truly eyes have not seen and ears have not heard what God has in store for you. Thank you for sharing your story with us and we pray indeed for perfect healing!
[Read: Teach Your Children to Eat Healthy]
