Know Your Existence: Becky’s ‘Why’

Back in September 2019, I attended Cervivor School to become an ambassador. I had no idea what to expect. I consider myself to be pretty sociable but I was beyond nervous and terrified when I stepped off the plane and landed in Chicago. As I’m checking into the hotel, who is the very first person I see, Tamika Felder. Even though she was running around making sure all the behind the scene details were perfect, she still took the time to hug me (pre-covid obvi ?) and made me feel so welcomed. I immediately felt a sense of ease and the nerves instantly turned into excitement. 


We had the pleasure of having, Roshanda Pratt as a guest speaker and she blew me away. She had us write down our “why statement” and then from there she wanted us to come up with three words that summed up our why. Know Your Existence is mine. I wanted my advocacy to be geared towards mothers – I wanted them to know that their life and checkups are equally as important as their families. I wanted minority women, especially in the Asian culture where below-the-belt talk is something that is rarely ever discussed, to be aware and know how important their checkups with their healthcare providers are.

I wanted women to Know Their Existence matters. 


Now I am amid a cancer reoccurrence and treatment. Who would have known that my own words now resonate specifically to me this time around. Know Your Existence, Becky. Push through, fight, give it your all, be your own advocate, speak up, research, question your doctors and live in the moment… Know Your Existence


My sister-in-law had these shirts made for me shortly after I returned from Cervivor School. She planned on surprising me with them but when we found out about the reoccurrence she sprang into action and had the women in my family take photos to show their support. I always talk about my amazing army of supporters and my Cervivor sisters are part of my tribe. I didn’t discover Cervivor until a month after my radical hysterectomy in August 2018 so to have the love and support from a group of women who just get IT has been a blessing this time around too.

Becky was originally diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2018, at age 35, and quickly became an active member of the Cervivor community, joining Facebook Group discussions, attending MeetUps, participating in the September 2019 Cervivor School and becoming a Cervivor Ambassador. She was diagnosed with a recurrence in late-2019, just weeks after returning from Cervivor School. Read her Cervivor story and learn how, amid this most recent diagnosis, her Cervivor Spark and passion to prevent other women from cervical cancer gets stronger each day.

“The Fire Gets Stronger Every Day”: A Recurrence Hasn’t Stopped This Cervivor from Educating, Advocating and Story Sharing

Becky Wallace, a young mother from California, came to Cervivor School in September 2019 to learn how to fully and effectively share her story. Just two months later, she faced a cancer recurrence. Amid this devastating news, Becky has shown our community what it means to embody the “Cervivor Spark.” 

“It wasn’t meant for me to just to get cervical cancer, and wipe my hands of it and move on,” without making a meaningful difference in the story of the disease, without taking action to help prevent it for others, says Becky.

Surrounded by family and friends, Becky shaved her head as she headed into chemo. “I shaved my head on a Sunday and woke up Monday with a whole new focus and whole new mindset. Ever since, I have this new fight in me and the fire gets stronger and stronger each day. I share my story so that this doesn’t have to be your story. Cervical cancer is something that is preventable and it is my job as a mom, a wife, friend, daughter and advocate to really put it out there.” 


See our powerful video of Becky finding and sharing her Cervivor Spark. Stay tuned for an upcoming blog featuring an interview with Becky who, in the midst of chemo, recently hosted an educational event at her home, speaking about her experiences, and calling on the women in her life and in her community to keep up with screening and vaccination.  

Becky understands the power of our stories to educate and to mobilize women to take action. If you haven’t yet shared your story on Cervivor.org, add your own!