Cervivor School to Legislature

In September 2015 I was able to attend my first Cervivor School.  I traveled to San Diego and I did not know what to expect. I knew I was going to meet women who had a similar experience to me, women I could relate to, women with cervical cancer experiences.  I was no stranger to cervical cancer or sharing my story at this point, I had first been diagnosed in 2012 and I started sharing my story on my blog so that others could hear my story.  I had the opportunity to share my story on video so that it could be shared for #CCAM 2016 to medical providers by a company.  I thought I was sharing my story impactfully.  What was I going to learn at Cervivor School?

I can remember sitting in Cervivor School in aww of all the women surrounding me.  Amazed at the amount of women who were ready to get out there and share their personal lives and stories.  It was great to see all the different ways these women were ready to advocate.  It added fuel to my advocacy.  It was like igniting a fire.  I transitioned my blog from just a place that I could share information about my story to a place where I could share information with purpose.  I started using a call to action approach whenever possible.  Cervivor School gave me the tools to reach out to media and have my voice heard.

All of the tools I have learned from Cervivor have helped me to grow in my advocacy.  I learned a lot about speaking to legislators and how to reach out effectively.  My Cervivor story being on the the Cervivor website has been really beneficial for me because if I am working to contact someone I can easily share my story in a great format.

One year ago I was invited to go to the Indiana Statehouse and testify on behalf of House Bill 1278.  This is a bill that was written so that Indiana would need to develop a strategic plan to reduce the mortality and morbidity rates of cervical cancer by December 2018.  I was honored to testify in front of the Senate Health Committee as well as the House Health Committee.  In each committee the HB1278 passed unanimously.

I was welcomed to be in attendance when Governor Holcomb signed the bill into law; a bill that passed unanimously through the entire Indiana Senate and Indiana House.  It was such an amazing experience.  It even helped check something off of my Living Life List – I was able to help pass a bill to make a difference in the cervical cancer space.

Yesterday I was invited back to the Indiana Statehouse by Representative Sharon Negele, the author of HB1278.  I was invited in for a press conference where she was presented a Proclamation in honor of January being Cervical Health Awareness Month.  Following the press conference I was able to go onto the floor in front of the Indiana House and share my excitement with the representatives that Indiana is placing value on cervical cancer awareness and is dedicated in reducing the mortality and morbidity rates of cervical cancer.

I am so glad that I was able to attend my first Cervivor School and become a Cervivor Ambassador.  All of the tools I was given led to helping to make such a huge difference here in Indiana.

Have you shared your story on Cervivor yet? Follow this link to share your Cervivor story.  It is organized into a great format with prompts that can guide you through sharing your story.

Are you interested in becoming an active advocate?  Cervivor School 2018 information is available here.

 

Experiencing Cervivor School as a Cervivor Follower

Two years ago, I was reading an article during Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, about Tamika Felder and her organization Cervivor. I could not believe there was an entire group dedicated to cervical cancer awareness! I followed the link to Cervivor.org and read story after story of women like me. Women who’s bodies and lives had been forever changed.

As I read through the site, I saw something called Cervivor School: “A live event for anyone looking to become more involved in the cervical cancer movement”. This sounded perfect for me – I was already talking none stop about my cervical cancer, why not find out how I could make a difference. I happily submitted my Cervivor story and I was determined to get myself to the next Cervivor School.

About two months later, I received an email that Tamika was going to be at an event in San Francisco and would I be interested in attending as a Cervivor. I jumped at the chance to meet other Cervivors’ in my area, as well as meet Tamika herself. Along with Tamika, I met fellow Cervivors Cindy and Curtissa. Our stories shared similar threads and we seemed to have the same desire to change the perception of cervical cancer.

That event lead to another amazing event, Stirrup Stories. I saw firsthand Cervivor’s impact in the community. The outreach Cervivor does to educate and bring awareness to a cancer that gets very little positive acknowledgment. Fourteen of us shared our very personal stories. We shared with the audience that HPV and cervical cancer has a diverse voice, and the tears and cheers filled the theater that night.

Having been a part of Stirrup Stories, I knew that Cervivor School would be just as powerful. But I would have to wait a year before I could get to a Cervivor School. When I finally packed my bags and headed to Delray Beach, Florida for Cervivor School 2017, I was jazzed to finally be a part of this experience. I was really feeling like a Cervivor.

I got to meet women who I’d connected with through social media. Women who’s stories I knew and that were so similar to mine, that I found myself at ease almost immediately. We sat together in a conference room for four days, creatively writing, getting artistic, listening to impactful speakers and learning how we can take our HPV and cancer stories to the next level. Oh and the laughter! As a cancer patient and survivor, it isn’t always easy to laugh, especially at our cancer but Cervivor School is a safe, non-judgemental environment where we could just be ourselves.

After Cervivor School, I have refined my story and my purpose. I now have resources to support my HPV and cervical cancer advocacy as I reach out to my community. Like my Cervivor sisters, we want to be the last generation to face HPV and cervical cancer. We want our stories to matter. We want our Cervivorship to be impactful.

Apply to attend our upcoming 2018 Cervivor School here. Read more about my story here.