This is our day: Cancer models take over the runway

I knew – from reading books – that fashion shows are about clothes – and more clothes.

And so – I had expected to meet beautiful girls with painted nails – and smelling of expensive fragrances imported from some exclusive street in Italy.

But then, I meet these beautiful souls – men, women and children –  people who are determined daily to fight cancer – and they are doing just fine.

There is this young boy – 11-year-old Lewis –  who has since lost his eyesight because of a cancerous tumour in his brain – which doctors say is lying on his optic nerve.

Lewis is here – ready to catwalk on the runway – together with other survivors and thrivers.

His mother – and younger brother Edwin – are holding his hands to guide him – as the three take the runway in silence. The silence is loud. It actually speaks to your heart.

“I used to see him struggling to read. There are times he would place a book close to his face because he could not see clearly,” says Lewis' Mother Lucy Njoki.

Lucy says she learned that her son had a tumour in the brain in July 2021 – after visiting Kenyatta National Hospital.

After 16 cycles of chemotherapy and 30 sessions of radiotherapy – Lewis is yet to see. Lewis joined Thika School for the Blind in January, 2024.

When I ask his mother for her mobile phone contact – Lewis spells out every digit.

Lewis' world may be dark – but he is full of fight and energy.

Today Lewis is dressed in an African Kitenge short and T-shirt – a similar outfit as his kid brother Edwin.

Judy Rowa – the CEO & Founder of My_Vitenge – says it’s her little way of supporting Lewis and other cancer survivors.

“I am a friend of this beautiful course. I have also been personally affected directly having lost my dear nephew who I was living with to cancer.

“In our small way we decided to pick Lucy’s family and just do clothes for Lewis and his brother for this fashion show and the catwalk as a way of supporting them and the event,” said Judy.

“Little Lewis is a young boy full of energy. As much as he cannot see what is going on, you can see and feel his joy and this is quite encouraging considering what he has gone through,” said Judy.

Christine Mugo was diagnosed with Stage III Cervical cancer in 2022.

“This is my first time in such an event. I am here to meet and mingle with other patients,” says Christine – adding that the cancer has since shrunk to Stage I.

Christine says sometimes she just needs to talk to other survivors.

“Sometimes you just need someone who is also going through the strain of cancer to just talk to them and hear their stories,” says Christine.

She says treating cancer takes a strain on once finances – and you need love and support from family and even friends. She says she has received a lot of support from her family.

As the event winds up – I get a chance to talk to Dr Dulcie Wanda, a Clinical and Radiation Oncologist based at the Nakuru Regional Cancer Treatment Centre.

She too is here to support her patient – a beautiful young lady from Nakuru who has been battling breast cancer.

“I am here to support this good course and the good job Candid Diana is doing. Cancer is an expensive journey. It takes a toll on a person and finances. But, you must be the person you were before. It is a journey. It does not define you,” she says.

Adding that: “It’s very important to go for cancer screening because it can make treatment easy should you be found with cancer early.”

“You should not ignore small symptoms like heartburn. It is important to go check your colon health – and don’t just go for over the counter medicine. Go to the hospital and get checked,” says Dr Wanda.

Dr Wanda describes as mythical the belief among some people that cancer is a death sentence.

“It is not true. I have dealt with patients who have Stage IV cancer and have been successfully treated and are alive. It is not true that cancer is a death sentence,” she adds.

Also on the runway is Dr Evelyn Allela. She is here with her husband, daughter and son. Dr Allela – a Pharmacist by profession – describes herself as a ‘Cancer Thriver’. Many do here.

Dr Allela was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020.

“I have been good since the treatment. It is one of the toughest things one can go through – but we have to go through them.

“Many of us live in constant anxiety. Sometimes – all the time we are scared of recurrence. Sometimes we joke about things among our small thriving community.

“Let us continue to fight with determination until that time when no one will have to fight the cancer alone,” says Dr Allela.

I also get a chance to talk to Dr. Diana Carole Awuor, known by the monika Candid Diana – who has organised the event.

“I did my best today. What do you think?” she asks me. It’s not the first time I am meeting Diana.

Diana, a 2009 Fulbright scholarship beneficiary, had only a few months left to complete her doctoral studies from Sam Houston State University after rejoining her husband in the United States of America in 2016, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

I can see tears collecting around her eyes.

“This is a special group of people. These are people who live by faith. It is about us living together and supporting one another in this journey. Today is our day,” she says.

 Diana advises those who have been diagnosed with cancer to immediately start treatment regimen – not sitting down waiting to raise millions to seek treatment abroad.

“The cancer will not wait for you even as you run up and down trying to raise money. Seeks advice from doctors and start your treatment. Do not wait,” says Diana who was herself diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020.

As the event wound up – one thing was clear. These are determined and loving individuals; mothers, fathers, children, sisters, uncles, aunts. 

Many cancer patients need help. They need support. Many need the right food – because nutrition is key in the treatment journey.