National Doctor’s Day

Today is National Doctor’s Day. For many of us who have battled cancer, these men

Carol Lacey and Dr. Albert Pisani in Palo Alto, CA. Carol says, “I am still here because of him!”

and women are some of the most important people in our lives. Like they are up there with our spouses, children, parents, and close friends. These are the people who are with us during some of the most critical moments of our life. They deliver our diagnosis, they drive our treatment, they help us manage the side effects, they walk with us through survivorship, they are with us in the trenches. These are hard moments. These are life-changing moments, frozen in time.

More times than not, these doctors are our oncologists who lead the charge on our treatment after the diagnosis. A lot of us end up needing other specialists due to complications from chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. Suddenly more heroes emerge and come to us as urologists, gastroenterologists, nephrologists, hematologists, the list goes on and on. Such medical specialties are very hard to crack. To get these positions, your best bet is to check out one of the best Carribean medical schools or similar, to get yourself on the ladder to becoming a qualified doctor.

Holly Lawson and urologist Dr. Geoffrey Nuss in Fort Worth, TX. “He saved my bladder!”

The relationship between the doctor and patient is quite unique. The most important thing is to find a healthcare provider that you trust and with whom you feel comfortable. It takes clear communication from both parties for the team to gel and makes progress, for the betterment of the patient. So you are not off the hook! As patients, we the responsibility to listen to them and respect them as experts, as they respect us as the chief of our bodies. It is pertinent to feel that you are being heard as a patient. Open dialogue and mutual respect with your doctor is crucial. Having a doctor who is attentive and honest can put you at ease and make those hard appointments and decisions, a little less anxious. Good doctors make all the difference!

Today we want to honor these amazing men and women who have driven our treatment, held
our hands, cried with us, laughed with us, and celebrated even the smallest of victories right by our side. They work endless hours to help make our lives better. There aren’t enough words to thank them, but we want to try. Today is their day. Happy National Doctor’s Day!

But Mom, I don’t want a shot – HPV Vaccine in my Family

1 Week Prior to Doctor Appointment

Zoe: “I don’t want to get a shot. Will I have to get a shot?”

Me: “Yes, you will have to get at least one shot.”

Zoe: “I DON’T WANT TO GET A SHOT! Why? Why do I have to get a shot?”

Me: “To keep you healthy.”

Zoe: “But I don’t want to get a shot!”

Repeat, at least twice an hour, all waking hours.

1 Day Prior to Doctor Appointment

Zoe: “Mama, please! Please, I don’t want to get a shot. Why, do I need a shot?”

Me: “To keep you healthy. I know you don’t want one. No one wants to get a shot. But it is important.”

Zoe: “But why? WHY? I’ll do anything. Please I don’t want to get a shot!”

Me: “It isn’t negotiable. You have to get a shot to keep you healthy. “

Zoe: “Please! I don’t want a shot!”

Repeat, at least 4 times an hour, all waking hours.

Day of the Doctor Appointment, In the Car, On the Way There

Zoe: “Why? Why?! Why, do I have to get a shot? Can I please not get it?”

 

It was then that I opted to pull the car to the side of the road. I felt exasperated, annoyed, and exhausted by this discussion. My daughter has just turned 11 and we are on the way to her well child exam, where I know she will be the recipient of at least 1 shot. I know this because, at 11 years old, she is now eligible to receive the HPV vaccination. I know that I will be requiring this vaccination for her.

My daughter was just 8 years old when I was diagnosed with Stage 2 cervical cancer. I never told her that I had cancer. I never used the actual word cancer to describe what I was going through. I was concerned that it would cause her more fear than I wanted for her. So, I told both her, and her 6 year old brother, that I was sick. That I had a problem in my tummy, and would point to my lower abdomen. I told them I would have to have surgeries and take medicine that seemed to make me sicker, but was actually helping me to get better. Each of my young children watched me suffer through chemotherapy, internal, and external radiation, 4 surgeries, multiple ER visits and many hospital stays.

What I went through fuels the effortless decision to get my daughter the HPV vaccination.

HPV is the cause for cervical cancer. Statistics show at least 80% of people will contract at least one strand of HPV during their lifetime. Most people will fight off this virus on their own. Others will not be so lucky, and the HPV will cause precancerous or cancerous cells to grow. It was time to have a conversation, on the side of the road heading into the Dr office.

Me: “Do you remember when I was sick? Do you remember how much pain I was in and how you had to visit me in the hospital? Do you remember that when you visited me I had a needle in my arm? That needle had to stay there. For days. For almost a week. I had to sleep with it in my arm. Do you remember how hard it was for all of us? How we had to leave our apartment and live with Grandma and Grandpa? How I couldn’t take care of you?” I hate reminding her of this. I hate reminding myself of this. I wonder if this is the right thing to say. “This shot they are going to give you today, the one you don’t want, it will protect you from getting the sickness I had. This shot will protect you so you won’t have to go through the sickness that I had. This shot will prevent you from possibly needing many others and getting poked with many more needles. That is why you have to get it. That is why it is not a choice. That is why we are doing it.”

Zoe: “Then why didn’t you get it when you were a kid?”

Me: “Doctors didn’t have this shot when I was kid. I wish they had, but they didn’t. You are lucky that they have it now. You are lucky to be able to get this shot!”

Zoe: “Will Isaac have to get it?”

Me: “100%.”

 

As for Isaac, he is currently 9 years old. My insurance will cover him receiving the HPV vaccination when he turns 11. He will, 100%, be getting this vaccination as well.

The choice to vaccinate my son against HPV is just as uncomplicated and straightforward as the choice to vaccinate my daughter. Almost every person who is sexually active will become infected with HPV at some point in their lives, if they do not receive the vaccination they will be left at risk for the high risk cancer causing strands of HPV. “Most men who get HPV never develop symptoms and the infection usually goes away completely by itself. However, if HPV does not go away, it can cause genital warts or certain kinds of cancer,” (cdc.gov). Someday, my 9-year-old son will have a partner. Someday he will be sexually active. I want to protect not only my son, but his future partner as well so deciding to treat with medication was a must. HPV is spread through skin to skin contact, so even if he and his partner practice safe sex, there is a high likelihood, that if not vaccinated he would spread HPV. HPV can cause not only cervical cancer in women, but penile cancer, anal cancer, vulvar cancer, and oral cancers. While women can be screened during their annual pap exams for HPV, there is no test for HPV in men, and usually, men who carry HPV show no sign or symptoms of the virus. He would never know if he had the virus. So, my son, if not vaccinated, would unknowingly be passing this virus on to his partner, and could potentially be at risk for cancer himself.

Many people wish for a cure for cancer. People discuss and post prayers and thoughts for cures all the time. But, we have a vaccination now that can prevent specific types of cancer from ever occurring! Isn’t that better than a cure? If you could prevent your child from having to suffer, why would you ever make the choice not to? The risks for the HPV vaccination are negligible, especially when compared to the likelihood of contracting the virus, and the horribleness of actual cancer treatments. Choosing to vaccinate both my daughter and my son against HPV is a no brainer.

In the doctor’s office

Zoe: “I don’t want to get this shot, but I know I have to.”

Me: “Yes. You have to, because I love you to the moon and back, and I never ever want you to be as sick as I was.”

 

I know I will say the same thing to my son when it is his turn to get the HPV vaccination.

Do you have questions about HPV and the HPV vaccine? Take a look at these resources for more information.

Cervivor: https://cervivor.org/hpv-and-cervical-cancer/understanding-hpv/

CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/stdfact-hpv-and-men.htm

Read more about Ana here: https://cervivor.org/stories/ana/