cancer prevention

Pushing Beyond Hispanic Heritage Month

Patti’s Mother, Tia (who would have been 94 on 10/22/22), & Abuelita

I was born in the US in the late 1950s. Both of my parents were born in Nicaragua, Central America. Even though I was born in the US, my grandparents raised me in Nicaragua until the age of eight. At that time, I returned to live with my parents in New York City. Making my first language Spanish. Growing up, we never spoke about menstruation, sex, or anything related to reproductive health at home. It was taboo. Schools did not teach sex education in those days either. I learned as I went along, hearing bits and pieces from my friends. 

Even though I am educated and well-rounded, sex education was a subject that I did not know much about. I only knew the basics. You might be thinking this is sad – Perhaps– but this is the way Latino parents have raised their kids for many generations. I wish someone had taught me about bodily development, and the broad variety of topics related to sex and sexuality, to have gained the skills needed to manage my sexual health.

Even today, in Latino households we do not have parents talking enough about sex education with their children.  There has been improvement, but there is a lot more we can do.

Unfortunately, cervical cancer in some cultures, including the Hispanic culture, is perceived to be a cancer of sexually promiscuous people. I believe this causes great stigma and shame. We can change this perception by first knowing the facts of cervical cancer, and educating others and ourselves. Educating the next generation properly is important. Teaching them about all the risks that exist, besides getting pregnant at an early age.

At the time of my diagnosis, I felt ashamed of having this type of cancer. I did not know too much about it nor did I know how I got cervical cancer.  I had to educate myself so I could properly explain it to my family. My shame resilience came with time. You need to remember that a particular belief passed from generation to generation is hard to change and hard to let go.

Patti Murillo-Casa, Dr. Jason Wright, & Tamika Felder at a Pap Rally & Run by Cervivor, Inc.

Today, I am an advocate and an educator on cervical cancer. I educate women, especially Latinas, on the tools we have to prevent this type of cancer. Latinas are the demographic most diagnosed with cervical cancer. The two main reasons why are a lack of knowledge about the disease, and a lack of screening. However, we can take steps to change the fate of many.

Over the past 10 years, I have teamed up with my oncologist to provide free cervical cancer screenings for women in NYC who may not have medical insurance.

I was declared cancer free in 2009, and I use to visit my oncologist every three months for check-ups after that. In 2010 when I became an advocate, I use to come in and tell my doctor about all the work and advocacy I was doing in NYC.  

We developed an awesome patient/doctor relationship; he saw my enthusiasm and passion for the mission of eliminating cervical cancer. One day, during one of those visits, he said, “Patti I want to help you and the Cervivor organization with your mission. Let’s offer FREE screenings to uninsured women.” I looked at him, smiled, and the only thing that came out of my mouth was, “Are you serious?” He smiled back and said, “Yes, let’s make it happen.” 

However, before we set up a date, he needed to put everything together. He needed to make sure that the lab was on the same page to not charge patients for processing the Pap/HPV test.  He also needed to gather medical staff to come in on their day off, and donate their time.  

This was amazing. I could not have asked for a better offer. On May 19, 2012, we held our first FREE screening event. It was a huge success. We have been offering this program annually since that first day and this year marks our 10-year anniversary.

We have also collaborated with other departments within the hospital, and for the past four years, in addition to cervical cancer screenings, we have offered FREE mammograms and FREE colon cancer screenings for uninsured men and women in the community.  

Dr. Jason Wright and his staff at the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at Columbia University/NY Presbyterian Hospital are committed to this mission. Dr. Wright has always been supportive to the Cervivor organization and my advocacy work. I am so thankful to him and his staff for putting these events together. Because of them, hundreds of women have been screened throughout the years, and many lives have been saved.

Patient advocates and their oncologists can create a partnership together to reach more women in the community, and offer education, screenings, support, or mentorship to women that need these services.  


Patti Murillo-Casa, Cervivor Wellness Instructor

Cervivor is grateful to Patti for bringing her passion and talents for wellness and cancer prevention to our mission. She is a vital part of what makes us #CervivorStrong. Thank you, Patti!

Transcending Passion Into Purpose

When my chemo and radiation treatments ended in July 2013, I struggled to return to my normal life, including my career in agricultural field research. Physically, I no longer had the stamina to work in a corn field for up to ten hours a day. Mentally, I began to question if I was even passionate about my job anymore. I had just survived cervical cancer, so I didn’t want to waste another minute in a job that wasn’t fulfilling. I felt lost and knew I needed to find a new career path that would give me a better sense of purpose. 

I thought hard about what I was passionate about and how I could turn that into a career. I knew I was passionate about cancer advocacy but didn’t know how to apply that to a job quite yet. I found the field of cancer registry interesting but knew little about it. I thought about cancer registry off and on over the next few years but kept dismissing the idea of becoming a cancer registrar because it would require two years of schooling to become certified. 

Cancer registries are important because they reduce the burden of cancer on the community by improving patient outcomes and ensuring funding for public health cancer prevention programs. A cancer registrar is responsible for collecting, maintaining, and reporting cancer data on all cancer types diagnosed and/or treated within a hospital or other medical facility. This data is entered into a cancer registry system, or database, that is then reported to state and national cancer registries. 

Cancer registry data is used by many, including oncologists and other doctors to compare cases for treatment plans, researchers for clinical trials, public health officials for evaluation of cancer prevention programs, policymakers to determine state and national funding of cancer control programs, and cancer organizations for statistics (like the American Cancer Society). 

In 2020, amid the pandemic and working from home, I decided to go for it and enrolled in an online program to become a certified cancer registrar. I am now one year into the program and am enjoying every class I take. I feel like I have a sense of purpose that was missing.

Someone once told me that cancer registrars impact cancer advocacy, policy, and research. This is so true! Knowing that my future job will impact cancer in these ways is exactly the fulfillment I am looking for in a career. It may have taken an unexpected cancer diagnosis, a lot of personal reflection, and seven years to figure out a new direction for my career path, but by the Spring of 2023, I’ll achieve my goal of becoming a certified cancer registrar. You too, can start achieving your goals in 2022, by focusing on your passions with a willingness to persevere. 

Emily is an eight-year cervical cancer survivor who was diagnosed with stage 2B cervical cancer at age 30. After cancer, Emily didn’t realize she even had an advocacy voice until she attended her first Cervivor School in 2016. Today, she is a patient advocate and Cervivor Ambassador who shares her cancer story to raise awareness for ending cervical cancer and to educate others on the importance of cervical cancer screenings and prevention. Emily is the recipient of the 2020 Cervivor Spark Award and the 2022 Cervivor Champion Award. She plans to graduate with her certification in cancer registry in spring 2023.