'Di pain no dey let me sleep for night' - Nigerians wey dey suffer from albinism tori dia journey wit skin cancer

“No expose your children to sunlight, totally avoid sun by all means,” na di advice two albinos wey dey suffer from skin cancer give parents wey get albino children.

Gerald Uche Eke and Esther Iboh, two Nigerian albinos wey dey suffer from skin cancer follow BBC pidgin tok on how di cancer take start, how e dey affect dem plus di pains dem dey go through.

Gerald wit noticeable sores for im head and face say na for 2003 e bin notice one small spot on im head. E say im mama carry am go hospital and di doctor say make dem no worry say na small wound. Later, e come begin notice say di spot wey im get di wound no dey heal, na afta various treatments, doctors come diagnose say na skin cancer.

Na di same way, di cancer take start for Iboh too, e start like small pimples on her face.

Di sore dey for one part of her eye and she say she gatz dey use wet towel massage am to reduce di pain.

Skin cancer dey common among albinos because dia fragile skin dey exposed to sun.

Pains and plight

Pipo wey be albino for dis part of di world dey sometimes face stigmatization.

According to di Albino Foundation of Nigeria, only about 12 attacks against pipo wit albino don dey reported for di kontri. Yet, bullying and name-calling dey common for children wit albinism.

Oga Eke say wen im dey small, pipo dey call am "oyibo pepper".

Dis one small among di names dem dey call dem, some dey laugh dia eyes and dia skin colour and dis dey affect dia self esteem and make dem feel different from normal pipo even though dem fit do wetin normal pipo dey do.

Apart from di discrimination, albinos get health challenge, one of which na skin cancer.

Iboh say di pain wey she dey go through no be small and e no dey make her fit sleep for night. "For night di pain no dey let me sleep, I go just dey cry to God for help.

She say she gatz wet her body wit cold water as she go dey feel hot and di hotness go dey tear her skin.

E affect my source of livelihood because wen I meet my client, dem go ask if I get accident, If I say no na cancer dem go leave business begin tok about cancer.

I dey wet my pains take am wet my body as my body go dey hot.

Oga Eke say na since 2018 im gatz dey wear bandage on im head.

Apart from di physical pains, di cancer also affect im means of livelihood.

"Wen client carry work come, wen dey see me dem go ask wetin do me, I go tell dem say na cancer, instead make dem tok about di work, na di cancer dem go begin tok about. If di work big, dem no go give me." Eke tok.

Di two of dem say dem regret say dem expose dia body to sun as na wetin doctor tell dem fit cause skin cancer for dem be dat.

Wetin experts tok about skin cancer for albino pipo

According to di United Nations, albinos dey highly vulnerable to develop skin cancer.

For pipo wit albinism, skin cancer na di biggest health risk. Because dem lack melanin for dia skin, dem dey at increased risk of getting sunburn or skin cancer.

Tumours usually dey develop in young pipo between 25-30 years old wey no get access to medical care and wey dey forced to withstand sun exposure as dem dey hustle to support dia sef.

For some kontris, majority of pipo wit albinism wey dey between 30 and 40 years of age dey die from skin cancer.

One study by di National Library of Medicine report say albinos wey expose dia body to sun earlier in life dey at risk of developing premalignant and malignant tumors by di second decade of dia life.

Di National Health Service advice say make pipo wey get albino dey wear sunscreen wey get high sun-protection factor (SPF). An SPF of 30 or more go provide di best protection.

E add say make dem look out for skin changes like new mole, growth or lump.

Any moles, freckles or patches of skin wey change in size, shape or colour.

E also add say make dem report to doctor as soon as possible as skin care dey easy to treat if dem quick notice am.