A Nigerian colorectal cancer survivor, Oluwasina Tobiloba, has shared her painful two-year journey fighting stage 3 cancer, detailing how multiple surgeries and failed chemotherapy lines left her living with a permanent colostomy.
Speaking with The Punch, the 20-year-old, who is the last of three daughters in her family, said her ordeal began in 2022 at age 18. Before her diagnosis, she experienced blood mixed with stool, mucus discharge, diarrhea, severe weight loss, loss of appetite and frequent bouts of malaria and typhoid.
Doctors at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, conducted a colonoscopy but encountered a blockage. A biopsy later revealed stage 3 signet-ring adenocarcinoma, an aggressive form of colorectal cancer.
“When I heard this, it broke me,” she said.
Her family was instructed to prepare at least ₦800,000 for surgery — a huge challenge, as her parents collectively earn under ₦200,000 monthly. The bill eventually ran into millions as treatment progressed.
During the surgery, doctors discovered the tumor had spread extensively and fused to multiple organs — a condition called a “frozen pelvis.” Surgeons diverted a section of her intestine to the left side of her abdomen, resulting in a permanent colostomy to allow stool passage.
She began chemotherapy in April 2022 with the hope that the treatment would shrink the tumor enough for surgeons to remove the remaining mass and possibly reverse the colostomy. But the cancer remained aggressive.
“The first line of 12 courses of chemotherapy did not work,” she said. “They changed to a more expensive and stronger second line. The side effects were crazier, but the cancer was still progressing.”
Doctors extended treatment to 21 rounds of chemotherapy, which she completed in January 2024 — with no significant tumor shrinkage.
“Chemotherapy is draining. Cancer is draining,” she said, describing the emotional and physical trauma she endured.
Despite the outcome, she remains determined, sharing her story to encourage awareness of colorectal cancer among young Nigerians, who are often not considered at risk.
