How my story begins: In January 2015, my family doctor recommended I stop taking the birth control pill because I was getting migraines (I was on the pill for 20 years). For the next few months, I had some mid-period spotting, which I thought was normal since I was on the pill for 20 years and my body just needed to 'normalize.' In early July 2015, I was bleeding excessively for 10 days and my family doctor sent me to the ER. The ER doctor did a physical exam and thought he felt a mass. Then a gynecology resident did an exam and said everything felt normal and I probably just had bad periods and would need an IUD. The resident made an appointment for me to see a gynecologist for an IUD. The following Friday, I met with the gynecologist and he did an exam. Although he said everything looked okay, he did a biopsy. On July 23, I got the call that instead of getting an IUD, I had cervical cancer.

Life before my diagnosis: I'm a Chartered Accountant living in Ottawa, Canada. I was born in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada and moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia for university and lived there for 16 years. I met my husband (Major in the Canadian Air Force) in Halifax and moved to Kingston, Ontario for 3 years, then moved to Ottawa, Ontario.

I enjoy sports, especially volleyball, golf and softball.

How I felt after diagnosis: I was angry when I was diagnosed because I had all my scheduled Paps since I was 19 and I have NEVER had an abnormal Pap. I was considered 'low risk,' so based on the Canadian guidelines, I only needed a Pap every 3 years. I felt like I did everything I was supposed to do as a female to limit my risk of getting cervical cancer. But here I was diagnosed at the age of 39.

Telling my family and friends: The first call was to my husband and he was absolutely shocked because all the doctors said I was low risk and that I just had 'bad periods' and needed an IUD. He was amazing and said we would beat this and get through it together.

The next call was to my sister, who is my best friend and lives 15 hours away. She was my rock throughout the entire process, starting from that day.

The hardest call was to my mom, who lives 20 hours away. My dad had colon cancer and died when I was 10, so my mom had already been through this with him.

My friends were shocked since I'm the only one of them to never have an abnormal pap, but they were extremely supportive.

My treatment: After an MRI and CT scans, it was determined to be Stage 2B cervical cancer because the cancer was in the cervix and parametrial tissues. The tumor was 4cm x 4cm x4cm.

I was not a candidate for a hysterectomy and the oncologist determined the treatment plan to be 5 weeks of chemo and radiation, following by 3 sessions of brachytherapy.

How I felt after treatment: After treatment, I struggled because my immune system was still weak so I couldn't go in crowded places, couldn't be around anyone that was sick and couldn't go to the gym. I felt alone. During treatment, there was a plan to kill these cancer cells and then after treatment it was a waiting game.

What was most difficult for me: After treatment was the most difficult for me because my sister and mom went back home to their lives and my husband was back at work. So I was home alone a lot letting my body heal.

In addition, I did not meet any other cervical cancer survivors during treatment and had a hard time connecting with others in the same situation. At this point, I just wanted to talk to someone who was going through the same thing as I was.

What I did to help myself: I tried to keep busy, but also let my body heal. I gave myself 'a break' and wasn't hard on myself for the things I couldn't do. I did some yoga from home, went for walks outside, and cuddled with my dogs.

My life after cancer: The radiation put me into menopause, so for the next 10 years I have to use estrogen patches and progesterone. Because of brachytherapy, I have to use a dilator (or have sex) at least 3 times a week. Now these things are just becoming a part of my daily routine!

My oncologist did a physical exam 2 months after treatment ended and felt things were good and it appears that my body was responsive to the treatment.

I always felt that life is short and you should enjoy the present, but after cancer this is especially true. I don't 'sweat the small stuff!'

Where I am today: I am back to the gym, yoga and my work. I still think everyday about what I've been through and I do worry about a recurrence. But I try to stay positive and think everything is okay until I'm told otherwise!

What I want other women to know: Just because you have normal Paps does not mean that you can't get cervical cancer. Listen to your body and if you have abnormal spotting or bleeding, make sure to get it checked out! Even if you had cervical cancer, consider getting the HPV vaccine to help protect yourself against other HPV related cancers!

How I will try to help others: I drafted a word document for all my friends and family which included information that I have uncovered throughout this entire process. I asked all my friends and family to share this with others. Because of this, I had at least a dozen women go for long overdue screening and the more people who are educated the better!! We have to take responsibility for our own health and minimize the likelihood of getting cervical cancer!