This year, our lifetime achievement award recipient goes to a true female ambassador whose strength and courage has touched the lives of many African women. Ify Anne Nwabukwu is the founder of The African Women’s Cancer Awareness Association. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in nursing at the renowned Howard University in Washington, D.C. and a degree in hospital administration at Strayer University. She is no stranger to the devastating effects of cancer, having lost an aunt to cancer. It became personal when her mother’s cancer was diagnosed at a late stage when she was visiting her newborn grandchild in 1989. Her mother had to have surgery right away. She became painfully aware of the lack of early detection in African patients either due to lack of regular check-ups or sometimes the scarcity of diagnostic equipment in some hospitals in Africa. Even after treatment in one of the best hospitals in the U.S.A., there was little or no follow-up care upon her mother’s return to her village in Nigeria. Ify Anne then determined to use her twelve years of experience to help improve the chances of, and educate, the cancer victims of Africa. She lives in Lanham, Maryland with her loving husband and four children. She remains active in the community, mentoring youth and volunteering in civic and health-based organizations. She volunteers with the National Marrow Donor Program and is a member of the Maryland Nurses Association, Anioma Association and several other organizations. For more information on Ify Anne Nwabukwu or the African Women's Cancer Awareness Association, please log on to www.awcaa.org

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