Cervivor Espanol

September is National Hispanic Heritage Month

As we progress through one important awareness month, we intersect with another: National Hispanic Heritage Month.

During this time, we are honored to embrace the vibrant colors, rich traditions, and contributions of the Hispanic community. Cervivor stands in solidarity with our Hispanic and Latinx members in raising awareness about cervical cancer within this population.

National Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated from September 15th to October 15th, provides us with an opportunity to not only celebrate the incredible cultural diversity and history of Latinx individuals but also to shed light on important health disparities that affect this community.

Let’s Talk About It

Cervical cancer is a highly preventable and treatable disease, yet it disproportionately affects Latinas in the United States. Here are some key statistics that highlight this issue:

  1. Higher Incidence: Latinas have a higher incidence rate of cervical cancer compared to non-Hispanic white women. This means they are more likely to develop cervical cancer.
  2. Lower Screening Rates: Latinas are less likely to undergo regular cervical cancer screenings, such as Pap tests and HPV tests, which can detect cervical cancer and the human papillomavirus at an early and treatable stage.
  3. Increased Mortality: Latinas face a higher mortality rate from cervical cancer, primarily due to late-stage diagnosis.

These statistics underscore the importance of raising awareness and promoting regular cervical cancer screenings within the Latinx community. Regular screenings are crucial for early detection and intervention, which can save lives.

Get Involved

At Cervivor, we are committed to supporting all individuals affected by cervical cancer, including those within the Latinx community. We offer a safe and inclusive space where you can find resources, share your stories, and connect with others who understand your journey.

Here are a few ways you can get involved during National Hispanic Heritage Month and beyond:

  1. Are you a cervical cancer patient, survivor, or thriver? Share your Cervivor story. Your story has the power to create change.
  2. Support and empower others to schedule their cervical cancer screenings.
  3. Knowledge is power. Check out all the amazing educational resources on our website and content across our social media platforms. Share it with your networks to help spread awareness.
  4. Stay connected with Cervivor to learn more ways to advocate and ultimately, end cervical cancer.

As we celebrate the vibrant and diverse Latinx culture during National Hispanic Heritage Month, let’s also take a moment to remember the importance of health and well-being by empowering our health below the belt. Regular cervical cancer screenings can save lives, and Cervivor is here to provide support and resources to help anyone on their journey.

Cervivor thanks you for being a part of the community, and together, we’ll make a difference in the cervical cancer disparity gap among Latinas.

We Are Cervivor: Spirit Week 2023 Recap

Cervivor Spirit Week gives our community a chance to bring some fun to an otherwise serious topic of cervical cancer awareness and prevention. As our Cervical Cancer Awareness Month Committee Co-Chair, Jenn Myers says, “It can be a heavy topic but we are the voices that need to do this work.”

We definitely had a ton of fun with everyone this week as we splashed social media with so much teal & white awareness! We love how many people took notice, shared their stories, and joined in on our cause.

Cervivor Español unofficially kicked off the spirit week with a MeetUp on Saturday then we transitioned into the theme days starting on Sunday! Sports Day Sunday brought out all the sporty-Cervivors representing their favorite teams. Lisa Gopman reminded us to get our cervical cancer screening and vaccinate our kids against HPV all while showing off her Bengal pride.

There were so many great Movie Monday quotes from some classic Hollywood films. Kel Bel spent the weekend watching Harry Potter movies with her daughter while recovering from her hysterectomy and shared this Albus Dumbeldore line that hits her every time, “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” Mic drop.

Our Cervivor Noir and Cervivor API groups kicked off their inaugural MeetUps to further our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion for anyone impacted by cervical cancer. There were stories shared so powerful and we cannot wait to see the work they all do in furthering our mission to end cervical cancer. (If you identify as Black, join Cervivor Noir and if you identify as Asian or Pacific Islander, join Cervivor API).

On Talk to Me Teal & White Tuesday we asked you what Cervivor means to you and here’s what you shared with us.

“Cervivor means no one fights alone.” ~ Christy

“Cervivor means sharing our stories and using our voices to spread awareness and to end cervical cancer and to let other women know they are not alone.” ~ Brooke

You gave us all the cozy vibes on Warm Up Wednesday and Cervivors were sharing pics snuggled under blankets and some with their pets. Joy shared the unconditional love from her cat and Arlene was living the Wonder Woman Snuggie life.

Joy & her cat
Wonder Woman Arlene

The favorite food of choice on Tasty Thursday seemed to be none other than… tacos! They really are the perfect food! Sharing our tasty treats helped us get ready for Saturday’s amazing session, Cooking with Tracy Citeroni, who demonstrated a versatile, healthy and delicious quinoa ‘risotto’. You can grab the recipe here to cook on your own!

We even kicked off our first-ever Cervivor Book Club meeting by discussing Brene Brown’s Daring Greatly! As we headed into our weekend, we asked you to share your happy places on TGIFriyay. Sand, surf, mountains, lakes, fireside, wilderness trails, and museum strolls hit the top of your lists for joy-inducing places we like to be.

Phyllis captured magic in Hawaii
Kristine’s sunset
Amanda’s trail

And we ended this year’s spirit week with a favorite, Sock It To Cervical Cancer to bring out your favorite statement socks with a Cervivor flare!

New Cervivor socks!
Tasha
Rachel

Through this time, we continued to honor the joy and Cervivor spark of our late Cervivor sister, Jodi Madsen. Cervivor Spirit Week was one of her favorite things from last year and she was a master in fun content creation and social media advocacy.

We hope this week has inspired you to continue these ways of advocating throughout the rest of 2023. It is truly incredible to see the power of our community and it’s a great reminder that we are Cervivor and we are unstoppable!