cancer

Every Voice. Every Journey. — Meet the People Moving Gynecologic Cancer Advocacy Forward

By Cervivor Communications Director Sara Lyle-Ingersoll

A gynecologic cancer diagnosis can change a person’s life in an instant. Hearing the words “you have cancer” is a universally disorienting experience — one that can divide life into a before and an after.

But the impact doesn’t stop with the person diagnosed. It reaches families, friends, caregivers, and communities. Daughters care for their mothers. A loved one’s diagnosis changes how family members think about their own health and the decisions they make about their care. And when someone dies from gynecologic cancer, those left behind carry both the loss and the memory of the person they loved.

Sometimes, those experiences become a catalyst for action. Survivors and loved ones turn what they have lived through into education, peer support, research, policy, community-building, and advocacy — working to make the path better for those who come next.

That same belief in the power of patient voices fueled Cervivor Founder and Chief Visionary Tamika Felder to start the organization 21 years ago after surviving cervical cancer.

“Too many gynecologic cancers still aren’t talked about enough. That’s why every voice and every journey matters,” says Tamika, echoing Cervivor’s Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month (GCAM) 2026 theme. “When survivors share their stories, they raise awareness, help others recognize the signs, and inspire action that can lead to prevention, earlier diagnoses, and better outcomes.”

Throughout the month, Cervivor has been elevating the voices of people whose lives have been changed by different gynecologic cancers — and who are using those experiences to improve the lives and outcomes of others. Read on to meet seven people moving gynecologic cancer advocacy forward.

Naomi Aziz: Advocating for Young Patients to Be Heard

Endometrial Cancer Research Foundation (ECRF), Patient Advocacy & Engagement Lead

Naomi Aziz was just 27 when she was diagnosed with Stage IVB endometrial cancer in 2018, after experiencing prolonged menstrual bleeding for nearly a year. She was forced to confront the loss of her fertility and the future she had envisioned for herself.

Her age makes her experience particularly striking: The average age at endometrial cancer diagnosis is 60, and the disease is uncommon in people younger than 45, according to the American Cancer Society.

After more than five years of treatment, Naomi found a way to turn grief and uncertainty into action. Today, her advocacy emphasizes symptom awareness, equitable access to specialists and clinical trials, survivorship, and making sure younger patients are part of the conversation.

“There is growing recognition that lived experience is essential, and that patients should not simply be included in these conversations; they should help shape them.”

Adrienne Moore: Filling a Void for Black Women

Endometrial Cancer Action Network for African Americans (ECANA), President

When Adrienne Moore was diagnosed with Stage III endometrial cancer in 2016, she went looking for answers — and couldn’t find them. A respiratory therapist and longtime patient and caregiver educator, she realized she could use both her professional skills and lived experience to help other Black women recognize symptoms, ask questions, and communicate more confidently with their healthcare providers.

That mission is urgent. The American Cancer Society reports that although Black women are less likely than white women to be diagnosed with endometrial cancer, their death rate from the disease is nearly twice as high. 

Adrienne’s advocacy also carries the memory of her late cousin, Cervivor Ambassador Teolita Rickenbacker, a 2017 Cervivor School graduate who lived with Stage IV cervical cancer and advocated on Capitol Hill. Adrienne told Cervivor that participating in this GCAM feature was one way she could honor her cousin.

“Our patient voice creates a powerful ripple effect: As individuals share their experiences, vital information spreads throughout the community.”

Kath Mazzella OAM: Refusing to be Ashamed 

Vulvar Cancer Survivor, Author and International Gynecologic Health Advocate

For Kath Mazzella OAM, an Australian advocate awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (that’s the “OAM” after her name) for her service to women’s health, advocacy began with a cancer people were barely willing to name.

Kath says a lump near her clitoris was dismissed for about 18 months before she was diagnosed with vulvar cancer. After undergoing extensive treatment, she was struck by how little people knew about vulvar health—and by the shame and silence surrounding women’s genital health.

“I simply refuse to be ashamed,” she says.

That conviction has fueled more than 30 years of advocacy for greater awareness, education, early detection, and open conversations about gynecologic health. Kath also established International Gynecological Awareness Day, observed annually on September 10. Her new book, Stitched Up: Turning My Vulval Cancer Diagnosis into a World-Changing Movement, is being released this week, sharing more of her journey from diagnosis to advocacy.

Her hope for future patients is simple but powerful: “knowledge, a voice, and permission to speak openly about their vulvar health without shame.”

Alvina Nadeem: Turning Patient Experience Into Systems Change

Quebec Cancer Coalition, Board Member | Health Data Research Network Canada (HDRN Canada), Public Advisory Council Member

Before ovarian cancer, Alvina Nadeem understood complex systems through her work in engineering, change management, human-centered design, and digital transformation. Then she became the person trying to navigate one.

“I understood the ‘pipes,’ so to speak: how systems are designed, coordinated, implemented, handed off, and changed,” Alvina says. “Cancer made me understand the ‘water.’”

Suddenly, professional concepts became lived experiences. She saw firsthand the gap between healthcare as designed and as experienced — and how often patients and families are left to bridge it.

Today, Alvina advocates for recognizing lived experience as a “form of systems intelligence.” Patients cross boundaries between clinicians, hospitals, researchers, and other parts of healthcare, giving them insight into gaps that institutions may not see.

“Healthcare should not be designed around the most capable version of the patient,” Alvina says. “If a system works only because the patient can research, remember, coordinate, and advocate through its gaps, that is what the engineer in me would call a design problem.”

After all, she says, “We don’t expect water to flow where the pipes don’t connect.”

Runsi Sen: Carrying Her Mother’s Legacy Forward

Ovarcome, Founder

Runsi Sen’s path to advocacy began beside her mother. As she helped her navigate ovarian cancer, Runsi experienced the anxiety, uncertainty, complicated decisions, and isolation that can accompany a diagnosis—and the helplessness of watching someone she loved rapidly succumb to the disease.

After her mother died, Runsi made a promise to carry her legacy forward by supporting other women and families affected by ovarian cancer. That promise became Ovarcome, an organization focused on education, support, research, equity, and access.

Her experience also taught her that advocacy doesn’t belong only to patients and survivors.

“Care partners are instrumental in ensuring quality of care for those in treatment. They are the silent yet unwavering force behind Ovarcoming. They should be given a seat at the table. Always.”

Nefa-Tari Moore: Three Cancer Journeys, One Powerful Voice

International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS), Gynecologic Cancer Advocate

As both a nurse and a three-time uterine and ovarian cancer thriver, Nefa-Tari Moore brings what she calls “authentic authority” to her advocacy — encouraging women to trust their instincts, ask difficult questions, and push back when their concerns are dismissed.

Her advocacy spans education, peer support, health equity, and systemic change, with a particular focus on ensuring Black women are represented in gynecologic cancer care, research, and advocacy. In 2025, the International Gynecologic Cancer Society recognized her work with its Dicey Scroggins Distinguished Advocate Award.

“Ensuring Black women’s voices and experiences are centered in gynecologic cancer care, research, and advocacy isn’t just about equity—it’s essential for saving lives.”

Claudia Pérez-Favela: Putting a Face to the Statistics

Cervivor Ambassador | American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), ACT Lead

Five years before Claudia Pérez-Favela faced cervical cancer herself, her mother died just 17 days after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

That loss shaped how Claudia approached her own diagnosis and treatment. When she needed a radical hysterectomy, she chose to have her ovaries removed, too, because she feared facing the disease that had taken her mother. She later learned that she carries a BRCA2 mutation.

Claudia initially wondered whether her experience was even hers to share. Her perspective changed after attending Cervivor School in 2023. The following year, she received Cervivor’s Rising Star Award in recognition of her growing advocacy within the Hispanic community and the broader movement to end cervical cancer.  

Today, her advocacy continues to grow. She recently penned an Imperial Valley Press op-ed promoting HPV vaccination as cancer prevention, and was selected for Cancer Nation’s 2026 Leadership Academy, where she is continuing to build the skills and connections to turn her lived experience into broader change.

“I have learned that it is very important to put a face to the statistics and that every story matters, including my own.”

Every Story Can Move Us Forward

There is no single path from cancer to advocacy. It can begin with a diagnosis, a delayed diagnosis, caring for someone you love, losing someone you love, or simply recognizing that what happened to you should be different for the person who comes next.

What connects these advocates is their willingness to speak — and to turn lived experience into something larger.

That is at the heart of Cervivor’s GCAM 2026 theme: 

Our Stories. Our Movement.
Every Voice. Every Journey. Every Gynecologic Cancer.

Later this month, Cervivor will put that theme into action at its first-ever Gynecological Cancer Survivors Retreat and Advocacy Training, September 24 to 27 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Powered by Cervivor School, the special retreat expands beyond cervical cancer to welcome survivors of all gynecologic cancers and build community through shared experience, education, and advocacy training.

Cervivor Cares for Caregivers, Too

As Runsi and Claudia’s stories remind us, gynecologic cancer affects more than the person diagnosed. Caregivers and loved ones often navigate their own uncertainty, questions, and emotions while supporting someone through diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. 

If you’re caring for or supporting someone facing a gynecologic cancer diagnosis or survivorship, you don’t have to navigate that role alone. Cervivor’s private Caregiver Support Community on Facebook offers a space to connect with others who understand the challenges, questions, and emotions that can come with supporting someone you love.

About the Author

SARA LYLE-INGERSOLL is a content and communications expert dedicated to transforming lived experiences into impactful stories. Her award-winning magazine feature about a close friend who died from cervical cancer in their twenties led her to Cervivor, and solidified her commitment to cervical cancer awareness and prevention. Now, as Cervivor’s Communications Director, Sara brings this mission full circle.

Wellness After Cancer: What Healing Really Looks Like

By Cervivor Communications Director Sara Lyle-Ingersoll

When people hear the word “wellness,” they usually think of exercise, healthy eating, good sleep, managing stress, and other types of self-care. But for cancer survivors, wellness can be, well, complicated — and much more personal.

Even after treatment ends, survivors may continue navigating fatigue, pain, hormonal changes, fear of recurrence, financial stress, changes in relationships, shifts in identity, and the lasting emotional impact of a life-changing diagnosis.

Tamika Felder

That’s why wellness after cancer takes many forms. For some, it means rebuilding strength. For others, it means setting boundaries or finding a therapist. 

“Cancer brings chapters of its own — diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, and, for some, recurrence. Each asks something different of us,” says Cervivor Founder and Chief Visionary Tamika Felder. “I’ve learned that survivorship isn’t always about thriving or reaching some finish line. Sometimes, it’s simply about getting through today.”

During National Wellness Month, Cervivor is taking a closer look at what wellness after cancer really means, with cervical cancer survivors and experts sharing insights on healing, peer support, and finding your own path forward.

Wellness After Cancer Doesn’t Mean “Back to Normal”

Cervical cancer survivor Patti Murillo-Casa knows exactly how complicated life after treatment can be.

“Unfortunately, many people think that once they hear the words, ‘You’re cancer-free,’ they’ll simply be able to pick up where they left off,” says Patti, who recently celebrated her 17th cancerversary. “But survivors know that’s rarely the case.”

Patti remembers feeling lost after treatment. “I couldn’t find the old me, and I struggled with depression for a while,” she says. During that time, she turned to food for comfort, eventually reaching 238 pounds and developing type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. “Coming back takes time.”

That struggle to find your footing after treatment is something cancer support professionals see often. 

“Finishing treatment is often described as a finish line, but for many people, survivorship brings a whole new set of challenges,” says Bonnie Dockham, LMSW, Executive Director of Cancer Support Community (CSC) Greater Ann Arbor, part of the broader CSC/Gilda’s Club network. 

Those challenges can include fear of recurrence, changes in relationships or identity, lingering side effects, and fertility concerns and financial stress — both of which can be particularly acute for adolescents and young adults with cancer — along with the question: “What does life look like now?”

There are physical reasons recovery can be complicated, too.

“Cancer treatment may end on a certain date, but recovery doesn’t necessarily end with it,” says Dr. Marcelle Pignanelli, MD, a board-certified endocrinologist at New York Endocrinology with expertise in obesity medicine, women’s health, and disorders of metabolism. 

Patti Murillo-Casa
Bonnie Dockham
Dr. Marcelle Pignanelli

The effects of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and other treatments can persist for months or years, she explains. For cervical cancer survivors, those effects may include changes in sexual and hormonal health, bowel or bladder function, bone health, and more. Pelvic radiation, for example, can damage ovarian function and lead to early menopause, with potential effects on bone density, cardiovascular and metabolic health, and quality of life.

That’s why Dr. Pignanelli encourages survivors to think of survivorship as another phase of care, not the absence of it. “The goal after cancer isn’t just survival — it’s helping you live as healthy and fully as possible,” she says. 

Wellness Looks Different for Every Survivor

So, what does wellness look like after cancer? There is no one-size-fits-all answer.

“For one person, wellness might mean reaching a physical goal, such as running a race, while for another it might mean being able to walk into their physician’s office without fear or anxiety,” Bonnie says.

Patti describes her own approach to wellness after cancer through three pillars: mind, body, and spirit. “When you work on all three together, you become stronger,” she says. “If you only focus on one, the other two suffer.”

Ana Reyes

Wellness looks different across the Cervivor community, too.

For Ana Reyes, a 2018 Cervivor School graduate and nine-year cervical cancer survivor, it means protecting her energy: “Wellness after cancer for me means giving my energy to things that bring me joy — and not feeling guilty for saying ‘no’ to things that don’t.”

Now three years NED, Emily Heitman describes wellness through everyday choices: eating more whole foods while still enjoying the “not-so-good” foods sometimes, embracing movement without making it so structured that she dreads it, reading instead of scrolling, meeting with her therapist, and recently taking up watercolor painting. 

“This journey hasn’t been easy and has come with lots of ups and downs and setbacks,” Emily says. “Taking life day by day and enjoying the small pleasures has helped.”

For Lynn Douillette, wellness exists alongside ongoing health challenges. More than six years after cervical cancer treatment, she continues to deal with radiation-related pelvic damage, neuropathy, and mobility issues. After reaching five years NED, she was also diagnosed with breast cancer. Still, she says, “I won’t give in to that ‘C’ word.” 

Progress, Not Perfection

When survivors are ready to make changes to support their health and well-being, Patti’s advice is simple: Start small.

She knows firsthand that lasting change takes time. After reaching a low point following cancer, she made what she calls a “U-turn” toward better health. Through portion control and exercise, she lost 113 pounds in 14 months.

“Nothing happens overnight, and creating new habits takes time,” she says.

That philosophy is at the heart of Survivor Slimdown, Cervivor’s wellness program, which dates to 2009, when Tamika and Cervivor Ambassadors Cindy Craddock and Pamela Akers began training for a triathlon. Cervivor relaunched the program in 2018 to help cancer survivors build healthier, more balanced lives, with Patti — now, a retired New York City police officer and Health Coach Alliance Registered Health Coach — at the helm. 

After cervical cancer, Patti struggled with depression and turned to food for comfort. Today, she draws on her own wellness journey to help other survivors through Cervivor’s Survivor Slimdown program.

These days, the program makes wellness approachable through “Daily Upgrades” — practical tips on fitness, nutrition, sleep, stress management, heart health, and more. Monthly challenges give members another way to work toward their goals together, from last month’s 20-Day Arm Challenge to this month’s 31-Day Dopamine Challenge. On August 26, Patti and Cervivor Ambassador Karla Chavez will also co-host a virtual National Wellness Month workshop exploring the three pillars of wellness.

But progress doesn’t mean perfection. When life gets in the way, Patti encourages survivors to give themselves some grace. “Missing one day doesn’t erase your progress,” she says. “Don’t fall into a cycle of guilt — just get back on track.”

Dr. Pignanelli points to another often-overlooked part of wellness: making room for it. If possible, outsourcing or delegating tasks like cleaning, grocery shopping, meal prep, or childcare can free up time and energy for exercise, medical appointments, nourishing meals, sleep, or simply rest.

“Taking something off your plate isn’t indulgent if it allows you to prioritize your health,” she says.

Connection Is Wellness, Too 

Even with loving family and friends, cancer can be an isolating experience. As Jackie Herigodt, Director of Partnerships and Engagement at Imerman Angels, explains, there is a different kind of understanding that comes from talking with someone who has actually been there.

Jackie Herigodt

“Someone who has been through cancer can say, ‘I understand,’ and truly mean it,” she says.

Co-founded by cancer survivor Jonny Imerman, Imerman Angels connects cancer fighters, survivors, previvors, and caregivers with trained Mentor Angels who have faced similar experiences and are discouraged from giving advice. “Sometimes the most meaningful support isn’t someone telling you what to do,” Jackie says. “It’s having someone who can sit in that uncertainty with you, listen without judgment, and remind you, ‘You don’t have to figure this out alone.’”

That exchange of lived experience can also help survivors navigate wellness after cancer. Cervivor community member Lynn says she has learned much of what she knows about survivorship from other survivors. “I’ve learned everything I know from this group and a nephrostomy group,” she says of Cervivor’s private Facebook group. “They’re both filled with great people.”

For some survivors, supporting others can become meaningful in its own right. Cervivor Ambassador Lorie Wallace, who has served as a mentor and cancer support coach through Cervivor and Imerman Angels, has found purpose in helping others. “Through advocacy, I’ve reclaimed my purpose,” she has shared. “This work has been as healing for me as it has been impactful for others.”

Hear more about the power of peer support from Lorie and Jackie on the Cervivor Podcast.

But community isn’t only about navigating what’s difficult. Sometimes it’s a Friday Dance GIF Battle, a birthday celebration, or marking a cancerversary together. Joy matters and laughter really is good medicine.

Support for Wellness After Cancer

Unfortunately, there is no checklist for doing survivorship correctly. Fortunately, you don’t have to do it alone. Whether you’re looking for healthier habits, trusted information, peer connection, or simply a place where people understand, support is available within Cervivor and beyond.

In addition to the organizations above, the American Cancer Society provides guidance on survivorship programs and clinics, while Triage Cancer offers free resources to help navigate practical and legal concerns, including finances, health insurance, employment, disability, and more.

Additional Cervivor resources include:

As Bonnie encourages survivors, asking for support “isn’t a sign of weakness — it’s an act of courage and strength.”

National Wellness Month is a reminder that small, intentional acts of self-care can add up over time. For cancer survivors, there is no perfect path to wellness and no finish line. Start where you are, give yourself grace, and know that you don’t have to navigate it alone.

About the Author

SARA LYLE-INGERSOLL is a content and communications expert dedicated to transforming lived experiences into impactful stories. Her award-winning magazine feature about a close friend who died from cervical cancer in their twenties led her to Cervivor, and solidified her commitment to cervical cancer awareness and prevention. Now, as Cervivor’s Communications Director, Sara brings this mission full circle.