advocacy

Preparing for Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month

In 1999 the Foundation for Women’s Cancer established September as Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month, or GCAM. Since then, the month of September has been a time to bring awareness to all gynecologic cancers-cervical, ovarian, uterine, vaginal, and vulvar.  In 2018, it was estimated that 110,070 women would be diagnosed with a gynecologic cancer and some 32,120 will die from the disease. Every woman is at risk for a “below the belt” cancer. Reading the statistics can feel overwhelming, but we believe that education and awareness is the most powerful tool we have, in fighting this important battle in women’s health.

Understanding GYN Cancers

As women, we must understand our bodies and the warning signs for GYN cancers. Sometimes there can be little to no sign at all, while other women may experience abnormalities that could be indicators of a serious health issue. The table below is a helpful tool to use when understanding GYN cancers.

At Cervivor we always say, prevention is better than treatment. For best outcomes, make sure you’re keeping your annual Well-Woman visit, cervical screenings, obtaining the HPV vaccination if appropriate, and communicating any changes with your physician. Keep in mind, there is no screening for uterine or ovarian cancers. Maintaining an open dialogue with your provider is imperative.

What can you do?

GCAM is a time for our community and advocates to bring awareness to GYN cancers. We encourage you to participate in GCAM by:

Sharing Cervivor content during GCAM. We will have plenty of graphics, articles, and other resources to share with your social media network, across all platforms. Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Share you Cervivor Story. Have you shared your story with us on Cervivor.org? Sharing your story on our site is a powerful tool for getting your story out there. Our template guides you with questions, to help you share your cervical cancer story in a way that is personal to you. You can share as little or as much as you like. Once you have submitted your story and it is published, you will be able to share the link with others.

Contact local media to share your Cervivor story. Many times, local news stations, newspapers, and neighborhood publications are looking for content. Reach out to them and share your story. If your story is on Cervivor.org, share the link with them when you reach out.

Host a Cervivor Meet-Up. Meet-Ups are local gatherings of Cervivors, networking and sharing in a social environment. You can hold a Cervivor Meet-Up in a coffee shop, restaurant, bar, or any where you feel is a welcoming and relaxed place for Cervivors to talk and share. If you’re interested in hosting a Cervivor Meet-Up in your area, contact [email protected].

Chicago area Cervivor Meet-Up

We look forward to a successful GCAM and can’t wait to see how our Cervivor Community comes together to bring awareness to cervical and other gynecologic cancers! We are Cervivor!

Statistics: http://www.foundationforwomenscancer.org/about-gynecologic-cancers/

 

Remembering Christine

I met Christine attending my second Cervivor School in Iowa 2016. The moment we met, I knew she was supposed to be in my life. I felt an instant connection with her. Christine was facing another round of treatment and she was scared about this one. She shared with me her thoughts about going through it again and how her faith, family and friends were going to get her through it. She and I shared a lot that weekend in Iowa and remained in contact after the school. Christine didn’t know it at the time but, she had a profound impact on me and my advocacy going forward.

At Cervivor School we covered a wide range of topics and we were discussing what one person can do to start to make a change. We were talking about breast cancer awareness and how that movement all started. There was some frustration in the room as some ladies were talking about all the awareness that is brought on by the pink campaign. I happened to glance over at Christine and saw her visibly upset. What she said next changed my perspective about breast cancer awareness in general.  She showed the group photos of her coworkers supporting her. They were all dressed in pink shirts with a teal ribbon on them. She told us pink was her favorite color and she didn’t see anything but support and love from this group of who had made the shirts in her honor. She saw the ribbon, not the color of the shirt. It was in this moment, I realized how silly I had been over the pink ribbon. After all, it’s just a color that has long been associated with women. She and I talked about this particular moment and how that frustration was often misdirected. I promised her I would do what I could to change the narrative and I have tried very hard to keep my promise to her. One way was to write The Fight For Teal and White blog entry.

Christine didn’t feel the most comfortable advocating to the level some of our Cervivor school graduates do, but she did do it in her own way with her family, friends, and coworkers. She was truly a special lady who was taken from us far too soon.

Christine, my promise to you remains . . .

 

Paulette Apostolou resides in Illinois with her loving husband and two rescue Miniature Pinschers. She is the owner/designer of ThePartyDeeva.com and founder of Operation Teal; an awareness ribbon campaign she founded in 2016 after attending Cervivor School Louisville. She is the 2017 Cervivor Champion Award recipient Contact [email protected] She is available for speaking/advocacy events. Read Paulette’s story here.