January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.
Did you know that cervical cancer is caused by HPV? It's a virus and nearly everyone will have it at some point in their lifetime.
Current estimates are that 75-80% of all people will be infected with HPV at some point in their lives. WOW!
More than 12,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, and more than 4,000 of women will die. AND THIS IS A DISEASE THAT IS PREVENTABLE.
No one should ever get or die from this disease.
When I was diagnosed at age 22 in 1995, no one told me back then about HPV. No one talked about how to protect against it. Women, like me, lost their fertility and some lost their lives to this disease.
So today, in the 20th year of my cervical cancer survival, my 12 year old daughter, received her 3rd and final cancer immunization. I took pictures. I had goosebumps. I announced to the nurse that I was a 20 year survivor and that this moment held so much significance for me. My daughter would never go through what I went through. She was safe!
"K", you will never get cervical cancer!" I said with excitement.
"What's cervical cancer?" K asked.
"It's cancer of the cervix- a female body part" I explained. How much did she want to know?
"OK, cool. Can we get Panda Express now?"
Yep. With as much enthusiasm as when she was a toddler getting those immunizations for Hepatitis, Rubella, Measles and Chicken Pox...all she wanted was to be done and eat.
To learn more about cervical cancer and HPV visit CERVIVOR
For parents- click here for a comprehensive study of the safety of the HPV vaccine.
If every son and every daughter were vaccinated, we could wipe this disease off this planet in their lifetime.
Now THAT is a reason to celebrate!
Did you know that cervical cancer is caused by HPV? It's a virus and nearly everyone will have it at some point in their lifetime.
Current estimates are that 75-80% of all people will be infected with HPV at some point in their lives. WOW!
More than 12,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, and more than 4,000 of women will die. AND THIS IS A DISEASE THAT IS PREVENTABLE.
No one should ever get or die from this disease.
When I was diagnosed at age 22 in 1995, no one told me back then about HPV. No one talked about how to protect against it. Women, like me, lost their fertility and some lost their lives to this disease.
So today, in the 20th year of my cervical cancer survival, my 12 year old daughter, received her 3rd and final cancer immunization. I took pictures. I had goosebumps. I announced to the nurse that I was a 20 year survivor and that this moment held so much significance for me. My daughter would never go through what I went through. She was safe!
"K", you will never get cervical cancer!" I said with excitement.
"What's cervical cancer?" K asked.
"It's cancer of the cervix- a female body part" I explained. How much did she want to know?
"OK, cool. Can we get Panda Express now?"
Yep. With as much enthusiasm as when she was a toddler getting those immunizations for Hepatitis, Rubella, Measles and Chicken Pox...all she wanted was to be done and eat.
To learn more about cervical cancer and HPV visit CERVIVOR
For parents- click here for a comprehensive study of the safety of the HPV vaccine.
If every son and every daughter were vaccinated, we could wipe this disease off this planet in their lifetime.
Now THAT is a reason to celebrate!
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