How my story begins: I had received a couple abnormal paps in 2008 when I was 17 years old. I had a couple colposcopy procedures. I do not remember if I was supposed to follow up or not. I did not see another OB/GYN until 2014 when I got pregnant with my first son.

I went through that pregnancy perfectly healthy and normal. There was nothing ever said about HPV or abnormal cells. I delivered a completely healthy baby boy full term in October 2014. I followed up with a check up and nothing was said. I got pregnant in 2015 with my second son and also delivered a full term healthy baby boy in March 2016. I again followed up with no issues and nothing was said.

Fast-forward to 2024 - something (God) was telling me I needed to have a gynecology checkup. I had no abnormal symptoms or anything, but I knew that I had HPV in the past with abnormal Pap smears. My initial appointment in October 2024 came back as abnormal with CIN3. I went in for a colposcopy in November, which was also CIN3. I was scheduled for a LEEP procedure in January 2025. During the LEEP, my doctor decided to do the cold knife procedure. In February, he called me to inform me the biopsy showed cervical cancer.

How I felt after diagnosis: As you can imagine at 33 years old with two young children, I panicked. The following days and weeks after the initial diagnosis was a blur. I spent countless hours researching and reading horror stories and was so scared. The unknown was the hardest because no one knew the extent of the cancer.

Telling my family and friends: I believe in the beginning, I only told my husband and my in-laws, who I am really close to.

My treatment: I called the oncologist office multiple times to try to get in earlier than their first available appointment. I believe they got to know me pretty well because their first appointment was almost a month out. I knew I couldn’t live this way of not knowing for a whole month.

They were able to squeeze me in within a week for my initial appointment. The oncologist basically confirmed everything I had read online. They would not be able to stage the cancer until I had a PET scan and an MRI. So that meant additional waiting.

They went ahead and scheduled both scans and also a radical hysterectomy just to be proactive. My first scan was March 7, second scan was March 12, and surgery was scheduled for March 17. I prayed and prayed.

By the grace of God, the scans confirmed stage 1B so we were able to follow through with the surgery.

How I felt after treatment: After a four hour radical, abdominal, hysterectomy I was sore and nervous. The doctor came in to tell me that everything went okay, he left my ovaries, and that we would need to wait on the pathology report to come back before we knew if the cancer had metastasized.

What was most difficult for me: The most difficult part for me was the unknown and the waiting. Also having to continue my daily life as a wife, mother, employee, and friend but having this fear in the back of my mind.

What I did to help myself: I prayed. I also did a lot of venting to my husband. Truly, God, prayer, and my supportive family got me through.

My life after cancer: My pathology report came back a few days later and I was cleared. All of the margins were clear and there was nothing showing in the 6 lymph nodes that they took.

I feel so blessed that this was all that my body needed to clear this. I look at life a lot differently these days.

Where I am today: I am living just as I was before cancer. Sometimes that is why I feel blessed beyond what I deserve. I think once you go through something so emotional and scary and then a simple surgery fixes it, you don’t really know how to react. I involve myself with a lot of cervical cancer groups and nonprofit organizations so I get the joy of meeting a lot of other survivors. Their stories are a lot different and more difficult than mine.

What I want other women to know: I want other women (and men) to know the importance of checkups and staying on the recommended schedule. Don’t take any of your days for granted and listen to your body.

How I will try to help others: I will advocate for all women and men to get the HPV vaccine and to learn more about men and women cancers caused by HPV. I continue to involve myself with groups of such so I can spread the awareness.