How my story begins: In March 2021, I had my PAP and everything was fine and normal. All was going well until on June 5 I started to bleed very suddenly and very heavily. Because it was the weekend, I waited until the following Monday to call my OBGYN, who had me come in and immediately scheduled me for a D&C. I remember it was the day of my procedure and there was blood everywhere, I was so terrified but my doctor had told me it was the lining of my uterus giving me issues so I tried to remain calm and positive.

When I woke up from my procedure I was informed by my doctor that they had found a very suspicious looking mass that he sent out for a STAT biopsy and they needed to admit me to the hospital because they couldn’t get the mass to stop bleeding. I was so scared, confused and still waking up from anesthesia. It was in the hospital that I had learned I had stage II adenocarcinoma cervical cancer. I was hospitalized for several days to make sure the bleeding had stopped, and then was sent home. While home, I had a PET scan done and unfortunately was staged up to stage III due to the cancer spreading to a lymph node and very suspicious of it spreading to my ovaries.

Life before my diagnosis: I was a happily engaged woman, ready to finally get married in August 2021 after having to postpone our wedding last year due to COVID. I have a wonderful and beautiful 8 year old daughter who means the absolute world to me. I was often stressing about small things for the wedding, making sure everything was set and ready to go. I often hung out with my friends and family, and was very active and outgoing.

How I felt after diagnosis: I was terrified, blindsided and completely devastated. Luckily I had an amazing support system, and was able to get through it with their help. They really made this journey a little less stressful.

Telling my family and friends: My family and friends were just as shocked and overwhelmed as I was it seemed, but they never stopped being there for me every step of the way. The support I have had has been incredibly helpful.

My treatment: I’m currently going through treatments now and am about halfway through. I go to external radiation 5 days a week and chemotherapy 1 day weekly, with 4 internal radiation treatments near the end. I’m often incredibly tired, but doing well for the most part.

What was most difficult for me: It’s difficult to be put into a situation where the only option you have is to be strong and keep pushing forward. Some days I get down, but most days I just wake up and want to get this over with and to be strong and keep fighting.

Another really hard part for me and my fiancé was getting the news that I will never be able to carry another child. We had been planning to try when we got our own house and out of the apartment. It was absolutely soul-crushing, but I remain positive that we can find other ways one day.

What I did to help myself: I informed my close friends and family at first, but I eventually decided that I wanted to tell the community to spread awareness and prevention. This has helped me so much, and encourages me to keep going. I’d love to continue to do so even after my treatments as it is very important to me.

Where I am today: I’m still continuing to push through my treatments day by day.

What I want other women to know: Keep pushing forward, try to keep your mind on all the positives and keep fighting. I suffer from anxiety so I know it’s not easy by any means, but focusing on now instead of worrying about the future has really helped me push through this. I cross off every appointment, treatment and take one day at a time.

How I will try to help others: By spreading awareness not only to cervical cancer but to all HPV related cancers that can be prevented. If I can help one person, then I’ve done my job. I will continue to spread awareness even after I beat this.