03: My Battle With 100 Fibroids - With Hilda Ngelo

Living African

The topic of fibroids will be one thing that we will never stop talking about because raising awareness is very necessary. This time around, we will dive deep into a personal experience of one of our sisters on her quest to get rid of 100 fibroids.

By age 50, nearly two-thirds of women experience uterine fibroids, which are noncancerous tumors that grow in the uterus and range from pea to football-sized and even larger. Data from Michigan Medicine shows that “Nearly a quarter of Black women between 18 and 30 have fibroids compared to about 6% of white women, according to some national estimates. By age 35, that number increases to 60%. Black women are also two to three times more likely to have recurring fibroids or suffer from complications.”

This data shows that women in our communities are disproportionately affected by fibroids and for that reason, there is a dire need for more education and discussion on this topic to help raise awareness and sensitize our community. Be inspired!

Meet Our Guest

Our guest for this episode is Hilda Ngelo. Hilda was born in Cameroon and is an IT Change Partner, Creative Director of Ndià Mangye, and Editor-in-Chief at Mammypi FashionTV.

Hilda shares with us her journey with fibroids, which has been such a difficult one to say the least, but she came out stronger than ever and survived a surgery, which took out 100 fibroids from her body. Hilda’s story doesn’t only depict the strength of a woman, but her ability to bear it all and never lose hope!

Be inspired by Hilda’s story just as we are!

Contact Hilda:

Facebook: Hilda Ngelo and/or Mammy Pi

Instagram: @mammypi

Watch Hilda’s Story on BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00151j8

Things You Will Learn in This Episode:

[00:01 – 03:00] Introduction

• Introducing our guest - Hilda Ngelo

[03:00 – 25:00] Hilda Narrates Her Experience With Fibroids

• Early signs of fibroid
• First diagnosis and surgery
• Health complications after surgery
• A shocking second diagnosis
• More fibroids found in a 3D scan

[25:00 – 50:00] Second Surgery & Recovery

• More health complications and difficulties
• The risks of surgery
• The series of events that led to the surgery
• Having faith and staying cheerful through it all
• Hilda's recovery so far

[50:00 – 01:05:00] Addressing Important Issues

• The need for more education and sensitization
• Our women need to be courageous and ask a lot of questions
• We need to stop dismissing the concerns of others

[01:30:00 – 01:09:03] Final Advice

• Hilda's advice to women
• Hilda's final words
• Anyoh's final words

Quotes

“I think clinicians should be able to listen to patients and provide accurate information to them. And if the patient doesn't understand, get somebody that can understand that information and break it down to the patient in a language that they better understand.” — Hilda Ngelo

“Please speak up, speak to somebody you trust. Find somebody in your circle that you trust. And if there's nobody, please do reach out because I'm here to listen, I'm here to help, and advise you.” — Hilda Ngelo

“In a different world like in the western world as a whole, A lot of black or African women go through so much but they are so afraid to ask the right questions because they think the doctor or health professional won’t give them a chance to ask those [questions] or meet them with aggression as they have experienced back home [in Africa].” — Anyoh Fombad

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You can connect with Anyoh on Facebook (@anyohf), Instagram (@anyohfombad), and Twitter (@anyohfombad).