patient advocate

Just Like Holly: We Save Lives

“We need to talk. We need to have conversations about cervical cancer and prevention.“

This could have been Holly Lawson’s mantra. Once she found Cervivor, she was all in. She gained her advocacy wings and she never stopped soaring to greater heights.

Holly was a life-long teacher, knowing that people thrive when their voices have purpose and when they are armed with knowledge. During her time as Cervivor’s Community Engagement Liaison and co-administrator of Survivor Slimdown, she elevated and supported countless patients and survivors, many who had never met Holly in person but who felt a deep connection to her nonetheless. Holly was magical and her caring heart was open to all. She had a knack for captivating you with her Southern charm but her fierceness and determination was ever-present.

Holly used her Cervivor voice on Capitol Hill to make sure her state legislature heard her story of cervical cancer prevention, she shared the stage with doctors and researchers doing work in the HPV space and she was dedicated to helping others find their #CervivorSpark. Holly never stopped advocating; never stopped sharing all aspects of her cervical cancer life for others to learn from. She showed us what resilience, vulnerability, and bravery was. Holly believed in a collective voice and she believed in the power of the Cervivor community.

Today marks three years without our @CancerWrangler but we are incredibly grateful that she made the Cervivor community her home. Holly led with wit, tenacity, and a whole lot of spunk. Her laugh and sweet southern drawl still remains deeply connected to our memories of her. Holly was a shining example of how powerful moving from a patient-to-survivor-to-Cervivor can be. She was able to utilize her voice to create change and we are better because of her dedication.

We celebrate Holly’s lasting impact by never forgetting the work she, and so many others, have done to help carry Cervivor’s message far and wide. If Holly were here today, she’d be over the moon at how we’ve grown yet always knowing how far we still need to go. Our work continues because her voice, her story, is weaved into everything we do as an organization.

Just like Holly, we do this work to save lives. We do this work because our friends and our sisters, who are no longer able to speak, can STILL BE HEARD. We must never stop advocating for cervical cancer prevention because we do have the power, we are change-agents and we hold far too many stories within us that the world must KNOW.

With Cervivor, Holly lives on.

In Memoriam
Holly Latrelle Lawson
November 8, 1978 – March 13, 2020

My Sidekick Sheba

When I was diagnosed with cervical cancer, I never imagined the journey would include a new sidekick! I finished stage 3B cervical cancer treatment around August or September of 2018. About three months after treatment, I began to experience trouble going number two. It was the worst feeling ever. The times when I could go, it was excruciating, and with plenty of blood. I started to go number two again, but the weirdest thing happened. It was coming from my vagina. I had developed a fistula due to my radiation treatment. 

I went into the hospital immediately and was admitted from December 31, 2018 until January 16th, 2019. During that time, they inserted a nutrition PICC line, checked my stool, inserted a catheter, and prepared me for surgery to remove some of my bowel and colon. My doctor explained that there would be a possibility that I would get a colostomy and he may remove my uterus, but it depended on the damage they saw inside. When I woke up, I was informed that the surgeon had removed my right ovary and fallopian tube, and I had a colostomy bag.

The nurse gave me care instructions and I learned to care for my new sidekick. I went through stages of confusion, anger, fear, and insecurity. After getting used to it, I named it, Sheba, and called her my sidekick. I’m a bit more comfortable with it now, but sometimes I still struggle with public participation because of how active it is. 

I’ve been diagnosed with body dysmorphic disorder since receiving it because of my constant worry about how I look with a shirt bulge or certain things that I now become obsessed with. Although I’ve gone through these struggles, I’ve learned to appreciate having my colostomy bag, as it has saved my life. I feel better knowing I can use the bathroom without getting infected or hurting myself even further. 

I get better each day as I learn and grow. I am living and taking it one day at a time, as I make new goals and step out of my comfort zone. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I am a CERVIVOR!

Kyana Johnson resides in Orangeburg, South Carolina. She is a stage IIIB cervical cancer Cervivor, colostomate, and Marriage and Family Therapy student. Cervivor has always been Kyana’s safe space, information hub, and a great place to come together for a cause greater than us. Cervivor is her inspiration for her advocacy efforts.