Date Posted: July 16th, 2012 In the obstetrics and gynecology
ward of St. Mary’s Hospital Lacor in northern Uganda’s Gulu
District, Apilli Kilara lies on the floor under a blood-stained
sheet, staring at the ceiling. The 43-year-old mother of seven
is in the advanced stages of cervical cancer. She noticed an
unusual itching after her fifth delivery in 2007. Then in 2011,
after her seventh child, she had sharp pains in her pelvis and
irregular bleeding. She remembers, “The pain and bleeding didn’t
stop. That’s when I started imagining something was wrong with
me.” Mrs. Kilara could have been treated successfully if the
disease was caught early, but she knew nothing of cervical
cancer at the time. Now, doctors fear she may not live much
longer. Lying next to her is another patient diagnosed with
cervical cancer. Akello (not her real name) is 39. When her
symptoms began, Akello thought witchcraft was responsible, and
sought treatment from a local healer. She says, “I had been
visiting a traditional herbalist for