Onyinye Balogun: I cannot let Gynecological Cancer Awareness Month end without paying tribute to Sattina…

Onyinye Balogun, Co-Founder of Mission-Driven Tech, shared on LinkedIn:

“I have been putting off this post but I cannot let Gynecological Cancer Awareness Month end without paying tribute to Sattina. My words are imperfect but I hope to adequately communicate the love I had for her.

Sattina and I met in 2018 when Kevin Holcomb, MD and I treated her for cervical cancer. Sattina was kind, thoughtful, faithful…all of the positive attributes you could imagine. Our doctor-patient relationship and shared faith bonded us and evolved into a genuine friendship. So much so that we began making plans to work together to improve cancer care in Guyana.

These plans were put on hold by the pandemic and worse, cancer recurrence. She faced her health ordeals with optimism, courage and ultimately peace no matter the outcome.

On June 29, as I addressed the audience at the Techstars NYC showcase about the need for improved cervical cancer care, Sattina’s sister was calling me to say she was dying. The irony of it is bitter. It gutted me and I am still processing it, even more so her family & friends. The next day, as I sobbed next to her bed, she urged me to continue my cervical cancer advocacy. For that reason, I eventually picked myself up and kept going.

Eradication of cervical cancer is within our reach and I thank everyone working to attain this goal. I will be there right alongside you until this disease is a thing of the past.
(Story and picture posted with family’s permission).”

Source: Onyinye Balogun/LinkedIn