cancer support

Serving Strong: Cervical Cancer in Military Families and the Power of Prevention

By the Cervivor Communications Team

A few days after surgery, Alegra Woodard decided she was ready to get back to normal.

Recovering at home, the military spouse and cervical cancer survivor laced up her shoes and started a step aerobics workout. Within minutes, she stumbled and fell hard.

Lying on the floor, she wasn’t just embarrassed, she was terrified, thinking, “What if I tore my stitches? What if I hit my head? What if I couldn’t get up?”

Looking back, Alegra — now cancer-free for two-plus decades — realizes the moment represented more than a fall. It revealed something deeper about military life.

“As a military spouse, we have a tendency to want to demonstrate that we’re as brave as our spouses,” she says. “That we’re able to cope with adversity and pull ourselves together as part of our own contribution.”

Cervical cancer survivor Alegra Woodard smiles with her husband while sharing her experience with cervical cancer in military families for Cervivor.
Cervical cancer survivor Alegra Woodard and her husband, Bobby, an Air Force veteran, are chapter leaders for the National Cervical Cancer Coalition (NCCC) in Northern Virginia.

It’s one of the qualities that helps service members and their families weather deployments, relocations, and long separations. But when cervical cancer enters the picture, that same resilience can sometimes make it harder to ask for help — or even acknowledge that help is needed.

As Americans celebrate the 250th anniversary of Independence Day and honor those who serve, it’s also worth recognizing the families who stand beside them through every assignment, every challenge, and sometimes, every cancer diagnosis.

Read on as survivors, caregivers, and experts share how military life shapes the cervical cancer journey — and why prevention, early detection, and community matter every step of the way.

Why Military Women’s Health Is Essential to Readiness

When people think about military readiness, they often picture physical fitness tests, deployments, and operational training. Dr. Elizabeth Kostas-Polston thinks about Pap tests, HPV vaccination, and preventive care.

Dr. Elizabeth Kostas-Polston

An Air Force veteran, women’s health nurse practitioner, and nationally recognized HPV researcher, Dr. Kostas-Polston has spent decades caring for military families while studying how women’s health affects military readiness.

“The Military Health System is the second-largest healthcare system in the United States,” she explains. “It serves more than nine million beneficiaries” — including active-duty service members, National Guard and Reserve members, military spouses and children, retirees, and other eligible beneficiaries around the world.

For military families, access to healthcare is only part of the equation. As Dr. Kostas-Polston notes, “Equal access does not always mean equal follow-through.”

Frequent Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves, deployments, changing healthcare providers, remote assignments, demanding work schedules, and varying levels of health literacy can all interrupt routine screenings or delay follow-up after an abnormal Pap or HPV test.

“The patient has to be an active participant,” she says, who recommends: 

  • Maintaining copies of medical records
  • Understanding recommended follow-up
  • Asking questions
  • Staying engaged with one’s healthcare especially when families move every few years

Military families, she says, must become partners in their own care.

That message resonates deeply with cervical cancer survivor Trish Byerly.

Navigating the Military Health System After a Cervical Cancer Diagnosis

Virginia resident Trish grew up in a Marine Corps family before marrying an active-duty Marine in 1998.

Two years later, while stationed near Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the nation’s premier military hospital in Bethesda, MD, doctors found precancerous cervical changes. Because she needed additional procedures, her family’s PCS orders were delayed until treatment was complete.

After relocating, however, continuity of care became more challenging. Every six months, she found herself explaining her medical history to a new physician. Then came another setback.

“This was before the digital age,” she recalls. “After the precancer treatment, we were stationed at a smaller base and they lost my file.”

Nearly 20 years later, in 2017, Trish was diagnosed with Stage IB2 cervical cancer. Once again, she turned to Walter Reed.

Trish Byerly and her husband, Tom, a retired U.S. Marine, on the day of her cervical cancer surgery, nearly 20 years after receiving treatment for precancerous cervical changes at the same military hospital.

“When he told me I had cancer,” she says of her gynecologic oncologist, “he already had the plan.”

Within days, she had met her oncology team, completed pre-operative testing, and begun coordinated treatment. There were no insurance pre-authorizations delaying care. Her gynecologic oncologist met regularly with her infusion team, radiation oncologist, and case manager to coordinate every aspect of her treatment.

Today, after hearing many Cervivor stories about insurance battles and fragmented care, Trish says she sometimes felt almost guilty for how smoothly her own treatment unfolded.

“For years, I would lessen my cancer diagnosis because I felt unworthy and not entitled to complain,” says Trish, a 2025 Cervivor School graduate.

Her advice echoes Dr. Kostas-Polston’s: Keep copies of your medical records, ask questions, request care at a larger military treatment facility when appropriate, and take advantage of resources like the Fisher House Foundation if you need to travel for treatment. (Scroll down for additional resources.)

Ultimately, she says, “I think it’s important to speak up.”

How Military Families Face Cervical Cancer Together

If military life teaches resilience, it also teaches teamwork.

For Amanda Hunter and her husband, Joe, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, those lessons became essential when Amanda was diagnosed with cervical cancer just months after the birth of their first child.

“We had a 3-month-old infant at the time,” says Kentucky-based Amanda. “My husband didn’t think twice about stepping up where I couldn’t, all while continuing to work a full-time job.”

Amanda and Joe Hunter with their toddler son. He was just three months old when Amanda underwent cervical cancer treatment, while Joe — a Marine veteran — managed their insurance claims, finances, and caregiving.

She believes his military experience equipped him for one of the hardest missions of his life.

“I think his background in the military prepared him for stressful situations and helped him be the leader I needed during surgery and treatment,” says Amanda, who will celebrate her third cancerversary this October.  

Joe Hunter during active military service.
Amanda’s husband, Joe, during his active-duty service in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Joe describes his approach in distinctly military terms. “Triage,” he says simply. “The military mindset is to observe, gather all the intel you can, and take decisive action.”

For him, that meant researching treatment options, documenting insurance claims, appealing denials when necessary, managing finances, caring for their newborn son, maintaining the household, and making sure Amanda always had the support she needed.

One lesson stands out above all. “As caregivers, we want to control every aspect of our loved one’s treatment,” Joe says. “But I had to let her have the final decision about her treatment pathway.” Amanda needed confidence in her treatment plan, he explains, and he needed to be ready to advocate for her if she couldn’t advocate for herself.

Looking back, Amanda says her husband’s support went far beyond practical tasks.

“He took on everything treatment-related for me financially,” she says. “I never felt like an option for treatment was out of reach.”

Today, survivorship continues to shape their marriage.

“We definitely don’t take our time together for granted now,” Amanda says. “With the physical changes from radical hysterectomy and chemoradiation, we’ve had to figure out how to be intimate again. It has required a lot of patience and grace.”

Joe also learned the importance of caring for himself. He encourages other military caregivers to document everything, use available support resources, and look for moments of joy along the way. “When we had to take long drives or extended trips for her care,” he says, “we tried to turn them into miniature vacations.”

The Emotional Impact of Cervical Cancer on Military Families

Cancer doesn’t only change the person diagnosed. It changes the people who love them.

For Alegra’s husband, Bobby, a retired Air Force Master Sergeant, one memory has never faded.

Alegra’s husband, Bobby, during his service with the U.S. Air Force.
Bobby today, volunteering at a community health fair with the NCCC.

Before surgery, doctors explained that if they discovered the cancer had spread, they would stop the procedure and simply tell the family how much time she had left.

Alegra had one request. If the news was good, bring flowers to her recovery room. If it wasn’t, don’t.

“In my mind,” Bobby says, “there were going to be flowers regardless.”

More than 25 years later, he admits he still hasn’t fully recovered from the experience. “I am still a helicopter husband,” he says.

When Military Service Meets Family Caregiving

Missourian Kim Arnold understands the power of family support from yet another perspective.

Kim Arnold

In 2019, she was facing a metastatic recurrence while working full-time, caring for her mother with dementia, and raising her family. “I didn’t have time to be sick,” she says.

Her middle son was serving on active duty overseas. Without telling her, he requested leave. His commander approved it immediately.

“I didn’t even know he was coming home,” Kim says. “He showed up at one of my chemo treatments and surprised me.” Though she says she doesn’t cry easily, “I cried when he gave me a hug.”

For the next month, he drove her an hour each way to chemotherapy and radiation. During those daily drives, they talked about his childhood, his military service, his dreams for the future, and the sacrifices she had made raising three boys on her own. He thanked her for being a good mom.

“We were essentially saying the things we had never said,” Kim says, “just in case we didn’t get the chance later.”

Her oldest son attended every chemotherapy appointment. Her youngest became what she affectionately calls her “hype kid.” Even her mother, on her good days, cared for her in return.

“Positive family interactions give a cancer patient the strength to keep going,” says Kim, now cancer-free for six years. “The love gives them hope for the future.”

Cervical Cancer Prevention Is Part of the Mission

For Dr. Kostas-Polston, these stories all point back to one simple truth: The strongest military families are not only resilient — they’re proactive.

Protecting readiness means staying current on cervical cancer screening, following up promptly after an abnormal Pap or HPV test, and ensuring eligible children receive the HPV vaccine, which can prevent six HPV-related cancers later in life.

Whether serving on active duty, supporting a loved one through deployments, or navigating life after military service, prevention remains one of the most powerful ways families can protect one another.

Cervical Cancer Resources for Military Families and Veterans

Military families and veterans have access to a number of resources — including our own organization — that can help with cervical cancer prevention, treatment, and survivorship:

  • TRICARE – TRICARE is the uniform services healthcare program for active-duty service members, retirees, and their families. It fully covers annual preventive women’s health services with no out-of-pocket costs (including Pap and HPV tests and pelvic exams) as well as the HPV vaccination for beneficiaries aged 9 to 45, follow-up diagnostic testing and procedures, specialty referrals, and cancer treatment for eligible beneficiaries.
  • Health.mil – This is the official public website of the Military Health System (MHS) and the Defense Health Agency (DHA). It offers information about preventive care, reproductive health, and women’s health services, including where and how to access care at Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs) globally. The Cervical Cancer page is an especially valuable resource.
  • VA Women’s Health – A dedicated branch of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), it addresses the unique physical and mental health needs of women veterans enrolled in VA healthcare. Every VA medical center features a dedicated Women Veterans Program Manager to help navigate care, from routine screenings to advanced cancer specialty care, physical rehabilitation, and survivorship support. Eligible veterans may also receive care from community providers when appropriate.
  • Fisher House Foundation – Fisher House is highly respected for providing “a home away from home” for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers. It provides free lodging for eligible military and veteran families who must travel away from home for medical treatment (like cancer therapy).
  • Cervivor, Inc. – Founded 21 years ago by cervical cancer survivor Tamika Felder, Cervivor has grown into a leading patient advocacy organization dedicated to ending cervical cancer and HPV-related cancers. Through peer support, education, advocacy, and community-building, Cervivor empowers patients, survivors, and caregivers to share their stories and ensure no one faces cervical cancer alone. 

Military families spend their lives answering the call to serve. By making prevention, early detection, and HPV vaccination part of that mission, they can help ensure that future generations spend less time fighting cancer — and more time living the healthy lives they’ve worked so hard to protect. 

This Independence Day, Team Cervivor thanks the service members, veterans, military spouses, caregivers, and families who protect our nation, and who, every day, protect one another.

Pride and Survivorship: LGBTQ+ Voices in Cancer Care and the Power of Community 

By Cervivor Communications Assistant Kyle Minnis

Every June, Pride Month celebrates the resilience, diversity, and strength of LGBTQ+ communities while shining a light on the work that remains to achieve true equity and inclusion.

June is also National Cancer Survivorship Month, a time to honor survivors, caregivers, advocates, and loved ones whose lives have been shaped by cancer.

For LGBTQ+ individuals, the cancer experience can come with unique challenges, including:

  • Healthcare disparities, such as discrimination, financial barriers, and fear of being misunderstood, judged, or misgendered.
  • Finding safe and affirming care, where patients feel respected, supported, and able to be themselves.
  • Misinformation and lack of representation, which can create barriers to screening, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship.

These barriers can have real consequences, contributing to missed screenings, delayed care, and poorer healthcare experiences. 

“At Cervivor, we believe every person affected by cancer deserves to be seen, heard, and affirmed exactly as they are, all year long,” says Tamika Felder, Cervivor Founder and Chief Visionary. “No one should have to choose between protecting their health and protecting their dignity.”

This Pride Month and National Cancer Survivorship Month, we’re sharing stories from LGBTQ+ cancer survivors and advocates whose experiences highlight the power of visibility, inclusive care, and community. 

LGBTQ+ Voices Across the Cancer Journey

One of the most powerful ways we can create change is by sharing our experiences. When LGBTQ+ cancer survivors and caregivers tell their stories, they help break down misconceptions, reduce stigma, and remind others that they are not alone.

Lea’s Story: When Care Includes Everyone

Lea Boone

For Lea Boone, a cervical cancer survivor and member of our Cervivor Pride community, one of the most important sources of strength throughout her cancer journey was the unwavering support of the people around her.

Family and friends rallied around her in meaningful ways, creating opportunities for connection and normalcy during a difficult time. “They planned weekly dinners, prayer sessions, game nights,” recalls Lea. “All of these gave me strength and encouragement.”

Her loved ones also helped her navigate the complexities of treatment by staying engaged in her care. They encouraged her to record medical appointments so they could listen, ask questions, and help her process information that might otherwise have been overwhelming.

Lea considers herself fortunate to have received care from providers who treated her and her partner with respect and inclusion. “Just because I am part of the LGBTQ+ community did not make me ‘different,'” she says. She appreciated that her healthcare team included her partner in conversations about recovery, aftercare, intimacy, and the physical and emotional changes that can follow treatment, recognizing the important role partners play in a patient’s healing and well-being. 

Her experience also highlights an often-overlooked aspect of cancer care: the needs of caregivers and family members. “Cancer affects everyone… the patient and the family,” she explains. She believes healthcare systems should do more to support the people who stand beside patients throughout treatment, recovery, and survivorship, as they often carry their own fears, questions, and emotional burdens along the way.

LaTasha’s Story: Creating Safer Spaces for Care

LaTasha Fisher

For LaTasha Fisher, an AYA Community & Remote Patient Navigator at the Ulman Foundation, creating spaces where people feel seen, supported, and safe is both a professional and personal mission.

As a queer woman working closely with young adults navigating cancer care, LaTasha understands the unique barriers LGBTQIA+ individuals can face when it comes to cervical cancer screening and treatment. She notes that transgender men are less likely to receive routine screenings due to concerns ranging from gender dysphoria to fear of discrimination.

“Healthcare spaces can feel isolating for LGBTQIA+ patients, and sometimes seeing someone who signals support and advocacy can make a difficult experience feel a little less overwhelming,” she says.

LaTasha believes affirming care starts with creating an environment where patients feel respected and understood. She encourages providers to use inclusive intake forms, respect chosen names and pronouns, and communicate clearly about procedures and care decisions.

“A few ways that healthcare professionals can show up better for this community are to make sure forms include space for chosen names and pronouns, ensure those preferences are updated across all systems, and train staff on the importance of using them correctly,” she explains.

For LaTasha, building trust and visibility within healthcare settings is everyone’s responsibility. “Everyone should be doing their part, and my hope is that in doing so, you will inspire others to do the same.”

Craig’s Story: Trust, Visibility, and Better Outcomes

Craig Lustig

For Craig Lustig, a long-term brain cancer survivor, advocate, and host of the podcast Cancer Rebranded, cancer has always been just one part of a much larger story. “Just because you have cancer doesn’t mean that you are cancer,” he says. 

Diagnosed with a rare brain tumor at age 27, Craig learned firsthand how difficult it can be when important parts of a person’s identity go unrecognized during cancer treatment. As a gay man undergoing treatment in the early 1990s, much of his care took place in pediatric oncology, where he was surrounded by children and teens and found few opportunities to discuss his experiences as a young adult or a member of the LGBTQ+ community. 

“This was a time when HIV/AIDS was a huge concern for gay men and the broader gay community,” Craig recalls. “While I wouldn’t say I experienced homophobia in a direct way, I felt uncomfortable in that environment when it came to my sexuality and being open about who I was. It was the right place for me to be treated, but it was very isolating.”  

That experience shaped his belief that trust is essential in cancer care, particularly for LGBTQ+ cancer survivors and patients. “When you have a life-threatening disease like cancer, being comfortable with your healthcare provider and able to be fully candid leads to better outcomes,” he says.

Craig recommends greater understanding among providers. “We need ongoing communication and education between the cancer care community and LGBTQ+ patients to build trust and ensure that queer cancer patients receive the same high-quality care — free from bias or judgment — that every patient deserves.”

Laura’s Story: Love, Advocacy, and Being Seen

Dr. Laura Porter in front of the Golden Gate Bridge

For Dr. Laura D. Porter, MD, FASCO, a Stage IV colon cancer survivor and Medical Affairs Consultant, survivorship and advocacy have been deeply intertwined since her own diagnosis.

Diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer in 2003 while completing her pediatric residency, her life and medical training were abruptly interrupted. After two recurrences, she became cancer-free in 2006 — a turning point that led her to patient advocacy and oncology research support work.

Looking back, Dr. Porter credits her chosen family and broader support network with helping her through treatment.

“I had an incredible support system… I was never alone the first year after my diagnosis,” she shares. “My family, including my extended family and friends from medical school, residency and from a 12-step program, all showed up to ease the burden of the diagnosis and treatments. I felt so loved and supported.”

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, she also faced additional barriers while navigating cancer care with her partner at the time, now wife. “One of the most difficult parts of the journey was all the paperwork that was required for Bonnie to be considered my next of kin,” she recalls. “At times it was a burden, trying to explain why she should be able to stay and making sure all the correct paperwork was done.”

Her personal and professional experiences have deepened her commitment to ensuring patients feel seen, supported, and empowered throughout their care. “I have been very vocal and active in sharing my story, and my medical training and experience helped me support others going through the same process,” she says. “I have always been OUT and about, but when we were able to get married it legitimized our relationship.”

Today, as her wife faces her own battle with metastatic lung cancer, Dr. Porter sees firsthand how legal recognition can shape the caregiving experience. “I am her wife, and I am her next of kin. I have to manage everything… and on the days that it is difficult, I can rest in the knowledge that I am her wife and no one can take that away.”

Dr. Porter (right) and wife, Bonnie (left)

Resources and Community for LGBTQ+ Cancer Survivors

The stories shared here reflect the diversity of LGBTQ+ experiences across the cancer continuum. While some individuals face barriers to screening, treatment, or affirming care, others, like Lea and Laura, demonstrate what is possible when healthcare providers recognize and respect the whole person — including their identity, relationships, and support systems.

Finding Community Through Cervivor

If you’re an LGBTQ+ cancer survivor, patient, caregiver, advocate, or loved one, know this: Your story matters. Your experiences are valid. Your voice deserves to be heard.

We invite you to join our private LGBTQ+ Facebook group (for more info, contact Cervivor Pride Lead Karen North), or apply to attend our upcoming Gynecologic Cancer Survivors Retreat & Advocacy Training powered by Cervivor School.

Looking for more stories, insights, and resources? Explore these Cervivor articles and discussions focused on LGBTQ+ experiences in cancer care and survivorship:

While Pride Month shines an important spotlight on LGBTQ+ experiences, the work of creating welcoming, affirming spaces for people affected by cancer continues year-round. Whether you’re a healthcare provider, caregiver, advocate, survivor, or ally, you can help by:

  • Listening to and amplifying LGBTQ+ survivor and caregiver voices.
  • Respecting and using a person’s chosen name and pronouns.
  • Avoiding assumptions about someone’s gender, sexual orientation, relationships, or healthcare needs.
  • Using inclusive, person-centered language.
  • Advocating for healthcare environments where everyone feels safe, respected, and welcome.
  • Learning about the unique challenges LGBTQ+ individuals face in cancer care and survivorship.

Together, we can continue building a community where everyone affected by cervical cancer feels seen, supported, and empowered.

Because cancer doesn’t discriminate. And neither should support.

About the Author

The image is a portrait of a young man with dark skin and short, curly black hair. He is wearing a blue collared shirt and black-framed glasses, and is smiling at the camera. The man has dark skin and short, curly black hair. His hair is cut close to his head, with a slight fade at the sides. His eyebrows are thick and well-groomed. He is wearing a blue collared shirt. The shirt is a medium blue color and appears to be made of a lightweight material. It has a relaxed fit and is buttoned up to the top. He is also wearing black-framed glasses. The frames are rectangular in shape and have a subtle curve at the temples. The lenses are clear and do not appear to have any tint or coating. The man is smiling at the camera. His smile is wide and genuine, showing off his white teeth. His eyes are crinkled at the corners, giving him a friendly and approachable appearance. The background of the image is a plain gray color. The gray is a medium tone, neither too light nor too dark. It provides a neutral backdrop that allows the subject to stand out. Overall, the image presents a friendly and approachable young man who appears to be confident and comfortable in front of the camera

Kyle Minnis is a recent graduate of Strategic Communications at the University of Kansas with a passion for digital media, storytelling, and audience engagement. He has experience in content strategy and media production. Kyle is especially interested in the intersection of media, branding, and digital growth.