cervical cancer Archives

October 14, 2026October 15, 2026

Seven Years NED, One Day at a Time: A Hispanic Cervical Cancer Survivor’s Story

As Hispanic Heritage Month comes to a close, we’re not done highlighting the Latina voices in our Cervivor community who are breaking the silence around cervical cancer — and helping others feel less alone.

Their voices are especially important. According to the American Cancer Society, Hispanic women in the U.S. have cervical cancer rates 36% higher than White women. Yet stigma and shame surrounding cervical cancer can make it difficult to talk openly about a diagnosis, seek support, or ask questions.

Hispanic cervical cancer survivor and Cervivor Ambassador Lisa Lakey knows what it’s like to carry that silence — and what it takes to break it. Her journey from a private diagnosis to outspoken advocacy was first featured in Patient Resource magazine. The magazine cover and Lisa’s original article are shown here.

With permission from Lisa and Patient Resource, we’re republishing her story below, followed by new reflections on seven years with no evidence of disease (NED), the challenges of survivorship, and the message she hopes other Latina women and their families will hear.

Lisa’s Story in Patient Resource: “Survivor Turns Her Silence Into Outspoken Advocacy”

When Lisa Lakey was diagnosed with human papillomavirus (HPV) at 18, she wasn’t given any information about what it was or what it could mean later in her life. Years later, when she was 37 and trying to have a child with her second husband, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. They found that the cancer was due to that long-lasting HPV infection. Despite her initial reluctance to tell anyone about her HPV diagnosis, she now advocates for women to get cervical screenings on a regular basis to help end this preventable cancer.

Embarrassed about the HPV diagnosis, I didn’t tell anyone at the time, especially my parents. I didn’t want them to know I’d been having sex because I was a good Catholic girl. No one explained what the diagnosis meant or whether I needed treatment. I had no symptoms, and, at the time, the HPV vaccine was not available, so I just went on with life. I had regular cervical cancer screenings with normal results. I even had a child with my first husband without any problems. I wish someone had explained how HPV could affect me in the future.

After I got remarried in my late 30s, my husband and I tried to have a child. I was having trouble conceiving, so I saw my OB/GYN. My screening showed abnormal cells on my cervix. She tried to remove as much as possible with a cone biopsy using LEEP, a technique that uses electric current passed through a thin wire loop to remove abnormal tissues. However, she told me after the procedure that there were no clear margins. She recommended a hysterectomy.

I was devastated, and my dad encouraged me to get a second opinion with a gynecologic oncologist. The second doctor performed another cone procedure but still couldn’t remove all the abnormal cells. Testing of the cells revealed I had adenocarcinoma in situ, and I was given a diagnosis of Stage IA1 cervical cancer. I decided to have a partial hysterectomy to remove my uterus and cervix but leave my fallopian tubes and ovaries. It made having a biological child in the future possible, and I still wanted a chance to have a child with my husband.

We looked at several fertility treatment options, including freezing some of my eggs, but we were surprised and disheartened at how incredibly expensive they were. It simply was not affordable for us. I looked online for information and support. This led me to Cervivor, which was a great place to meet other women going through something similar. Over time, I shared my experience with them. They asked me to speak at their Cervical Cancer Summit about family planning, so I joined their panel.

After the surgery, my doctor said there was only a 5 percent chance the cancer would return. I was hopeful. Although I was considered a survivor, I didn’t feel like it because for the next two and a half years, I had an ultrasound every six months. All results were normal until an 18 cm cyst was found on my right ovary during a routine scan. The doctor ordered bloodwork, and the results indicated cancer. Testing of the cyst showed it had the same cells as my original cervical cancer. Therefore, it was considered a recurrence.

This shook my world. I was like a zombie for a few weeks as I tried to come to grips with the news. The doctor scheduled surgery to remove the mass and my ovaries and fallopian tubes. I was so scared, but I put on a positive face and adopted the adage of “fake it until you make it.” Inside, I was mourning the fact that I would not be able to have any more children. I felt robbed.

*Lisa on her final day of chemotherapy.*

Surgery was followed by six rounds of aggressive chemotherapy treatment every six weeks. Today, I am cancer-free and have annual follow-up appointments.

After the recurrence, I became more involved with Cervivor. Talking about my experience helped me to feel less embarrassed and more emboldened to speak out. I began advocating for other women. I was invited to Cervivor’s Communities of Color event to share my experience as a Latina woman who had cervical cancer.

Many people, especially people from communities of color, have trouble discussing HPV. There is a stigma around it because it’s tied to sexual activity. I like to think of HPV as more like the common cold for your vagina. I even wear a button that says, “Ask me about HPV.” It is a great conversation starter and reduces the stigma of discussing a private part of the body.

Being a part of Cervivor lit a fire in me. I continue to use my voice to bring awareness to this totally preventable cancer. Many women reach out to me in private, but I’m willing to talk about cervical cancer with anyone, anywhere, because I don’t want them to feel alone. Today, I feel like a survivor.

The advice I give other women is to not be afraid of cervical cancer screening, advocate for yourself and find a team of doctors who have your best interests at heart. It’s worth it for your own well-being.

Lisa Today: “Survivorship is a Day-by-Day Experience”

*Lisa two years ago, celebrating five years with no evidence of disease (NED).*

Seven years after reaching no evidence of disease (NED), Lisa continues to navigate the challenges of survivorship while helping others through education and advocacy. We caught up with her to hear how she’s doing today and what she’s learned along the way.

Q: What helps you keep going on the harder days of survivorship?

“Survivorship is literally a day-by-day experience. Some days are great, and after being NED for seven years, dare I say there are some days I don’t even think about my diagnosis. But the reality is it’s always there. Any ache or pain, you immediately think: it’s cancer. It doesn’t help that cancer seems to be all around us, so it feels like there is no escape.

For me, I’m still experiencing some of those fears with questionable scans and other issues that stem directly from my treatment, so I’m not as carefree as I’d like to be. But every day I live in the moment. I wake up and feel so blessed to be here, and I look into my family’s eyes and remember why I fight so hard not to let this disease or this experience get the best of me.

You have to be strong; you have to have faith and hope. And you have to learn not to predict the future. If you advocate for yourself through this journey, then you should also be able to TRUST your team.”

Lisa’s Message to Latino Families

***Lisa with her family on the day she completed treatment***.

Q: As a Latina survivor, what would you tell Latino families when a loved one is diagnosed with cervical cancer?

“First and foremost, don’t be ashamed and don’t judge. Cervical cancer can feel like two diagnoses in one, but they did nothing wrong.

Second, I would let them know I am here for them for anything they need. When I was first diagnosed, I remember meeting someone with cervical cancer and weirdly being excited, because I had someone I could relate to.

If I have learned anything through Cervivor, it’s to be there for others: to share your story, to answer questions, to share my knowledge. I wish I’d had someone with firsthand experience when I was first diagnosed. Maybe I would have felt less alone and a whole lot more confident.”

Advocacy on Her Own Terms

Q: How has your advocacy evolved since your story appeared in Patient Resource?

*Lisa at a 2025 Cervivor Communities of Color event*.

“My advocacy over the past few years has been a lot of storytelling. I’ve hit some major milestones, so it’s always good to share the success and let others know there is hope, and also what years of survivorship could look like. Many times the storytelling is one-on-one, and I’m able to share personal experiences or help calm nerves.

I’m also huge on pushing for and sharing how important the HPV vaccine is, and I consistently push for others to vaccinate themselves or their children. In addition, I belong to a Latino cohort at work, and I’ve been given a platform on a regular basis to share my story and statistics, and to answer questions.

When it comes down to it, advocacy is what you make of it, and making myself open and available has worked well for me, especially when I’m immersed in a community of people who might be a little more reluctant to talk about it.”

Make Lisa’s Story Matter

Lisa’s story is a reminder that breaking the silence can start with one conversation, whether that’s with a doctor, a sister, a coworker, or a friend who was just diagnosed. As she puts it, advocacy is what you make of it.

This Hispanic Heritage Month and beyond, we invite you to carry her message forward:

Talk about it. Cervical cancer is nothing to be ashamed of. Open, judgment-free conversations help the women we love feel less alone.
Protect the next generation. The HPV vaccine prevents the infections that cause most cervical cancers. Talk to your doctor about vaccination for yourself and your children.
Get screened. Regular Pap and HPV tests can find changes early, when they’re most treatable.
Share your story. Like Lisa, your experience could be exactly what someone else needs to hear.
Find your community. Join Cervivor Español and connect with other Hispanic cervical cancer survivors at our next virtual Café con Leche meetup! Check our Events page for upcoming gatherings.

Thank you, Lisa, for your courage, your honesty, and for always showing up for others. We’re grateful to have you in the Cervivor family.

October 6, 2026October 7, 2026

Above the Waist, Below the Waist: Why Breast Cancer Awareness Matters to Cervivors

By Kyle Minnis, Cervivor Communications Assistant

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and you might wonder why a cervical cancer community like Cervivor cares so much. The answer is simple: Our stories don’t fit neatly into one diagnosis, one organ, or one month on the calendar.

Many cervical cancer survivors — a.k.a. Cervivors — have lost mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and friends to breast cancer. Some have faced both cancers themselves. And many of the same barriers that can stand between someone and a Pap or HPV test — including cost, lack of insurance, and distance to care — can also keep them from getting a mammogram.

In 2026, an estimated 321,910 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, while an estimated 13,490 women will be diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer. Behind every one of those numbers is a person, a family, and a community. This month, we’re sharing the stories of Cervivors whose lives have been touched by both cancers, along with resources that can help you or someone you love access screening and care.

Where Our Stories Intersect

For some Cervivors, the connection to breast cancer is another diagnosis. For others, it’s a genetic risk, a family history, or an unexpected moment when cervical cancer care opens the door to breast care. Their stories show just how differently — and deeply — these cancer communities intersect.

Karen’s Story: Breast and Cervical Cancer

Cervivor Ambassador and SGM/LGBTQIA+ Lead Karen North, BSN, RN, was 46 when a routine mammogram found her breast cancer. She chose a double mastectomy and didn’t need further treatment. Eighteen months later, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer.

Having faced both, Karen believes cancer communities need to show up for one another. “There are too many people being diagnosed, in treatment, dying, and scared of a recurrence,” she said.

For her, October should focus on what matters most: “prevention, screening, access to treatment and aftercare.”

Karen also wants cancer awareness to include everyone it affects, including people with a cervix who don’t identify as female. “Everyone deserves to feel seen, respected, and included when it comes to cancer awareness, prevention, and care,” she says. “There are too many barriers with cancer and gender shouldn’t be one of them.”

Kadiana’s Story: Survivor to Previvor

In 2020, Cervivor Ambassador and Caribbean Liaison Kadiana Vegee was in treatment for cervical cancer when her doctor suggested genetic testing because of her family history. She learned she carries a BRCA1 mutation, increasing her breast cancer risk.

“It was a lot to take in because I was already dealing with cervical cancer,” she says, noting her 32 rounds of external radiation, 6 rounds of brachytherapy, and 6 cycles of chemotherapy. “But at the same time, I’m grateful I had that information because it gave me the opportunity to make decisions about my health instead of waiting for something to happen.”

Kadiana ultimately chose a preventive double mastectomy without reconstruction. “I didn’t want to live constantly wondering if breast cancer was going to be the next thing I had to face,” she says. “I chose my health and my peace of mind.”

Today, she is both a cervical cancer survivor and a breast cancer “previvor.” Her advice to others who learn they carry a BRCA mutation is to give themselves time, ask questions, and make the choice that is right for them.

Lillian’s Story: Loss, Survival, and Advocacy

Mental health therapist Dr. Lillian Walker Shelton, Ed.D., LPC, LCPC, ACS, lost her mother to cervical cancer in 1996, when the disease and its connection to HPV were still widely misunderstood. Lillian recalls a doctor asking whether her mother had been a prostitute — a question so disturbing that her grandmother filed a formal complaint.

Years later, after moving to Washington, D.C., Lillian met Cervivor Founder and Chief Visionary Tamika Felder and trained as a cancer advocate through Tamika & Friends, as the organization was originally named. That training became vital when Lillian was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020 and again in 2022. Today, she is living with metastatic breast cancer.

Her mother, she says, never felt empowered to advocate for herself. Lillian approaches her own care differently: “I know that my life depends on my advocacy.”

After her cancer spread to her bones, Lillian experienced two broken legs and a hip replacement between 2022 and 2025. She has learned to ask for help and lean on family, friends, and therapy. Her message to other survivors is simple: “You can’t do cancer alone.”

Lauren’s Story: When Screening Connects

Cervivor Program Coordinator Lauren Lastauskas is a cervical cancer survivor with a strong connection to breast cancer: Her maternal grandmother died of a recurrence, and Lauren later helped care for a sister-in-law diagnosed with stage 3 HER2-positive breast cancer.

When Lauren was uninsured, she received her cervical cancer follow-up care through Take Charge, Oklahoma’s branch of the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. At one visit, a provider asked whether she had noticed any breast changes. Lauren mentioned a new nipple discharge. “Through my own cervical cancer experience and many friends and family dealing with breast cancer, I knew I had to speak up!”

The provider referred the then-32-year-old Lauren for a diagnostic mammogram, which came back clear. “I only got that clear result because of my cervical cancer screening and the federally funded breast and cervical program,” she says.

Access wasn’t easy: Lauren drove about an hour and a half for her Pap test and another hour and a half for the mammogram. The experience, she says, “reiterated the importance of advocating for yourself and mentioning any and all problems to a health provider.”

The Program Behind Lauren’s Story: The NBCCEDP

The CDC’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) provides free and low-cost breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services to people with low incomes who are uninsured or underinsured.

Early detection can make a profound difference: Five-year relative survival is more than 99% for localized breast cancer and 91% for localized cervical cancer. That makes access to screening especially important for people who might otherwise go without it, like Lauren.

The program works through state, tribal, and territorial public health departments across the country, so the name and the places you can go will vary by state. Since 1991, it has served more than 6.7 million women and provided more than 16.8 million breast and cervical cancer screening exams. Those exams have found more than 82,000 invasive breast cancers and 5,400 invasive cervical cancers, plus more than 259,000 cervical precancers caught before they could become cancer.

If cost or insurance is standing between you and a mammogram or a Pap/HPV test, visit the CDC’s NBCCEDP page (link above) to find your state or tribal program.

**Lauren spotted a rainbow at the start of her hour-and-a-half drive to her mammogram.**

Partners in the Work: The Promise Fund

Some organizations already see breast and cervical cancer as one fight. The Promise Fund, based in West Palm Beach, FL, works to increase survivorship from both cancers. It was founded in 2018 by former U.S. Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, who also founded Susan G. Komen after losing her sister to breast cancer.

Promise Fund Navigators provide women with one-on-one guidance from screening through diagnosis, treatment, and completion of care. They help remove barriers by arranging transportation, providing translation, answering insurance questions, and connecting women with mammograms, Pap tests, HPV testing, and other essential services at little or no cost. Through partnerships with health-care providers and community organizations, the Promise Fund serves women across Palm Beach, Broward, and Martin counties.

Ambassador Brinker is also a 2024 Cervivor Champion Award recipient and shared her insights with our community at the 2025 Cervical Cancer Summit Powered by Cervivor, Inc. Watch her talk here — it’s a good one!

Cervivor’s Commitment

Cervivor was built to give a voice to people affected by cervical cancer. That mission has never meant caring about only one part of a person’s health. Our community members are whole people, with whole bodies and whole families, and the cancers that touch them don’t respect boundaries.

As our founder Tamika explains: “At Cervivor, we care about the cancers above the waist just as much as the ones below it. So many of our members have watched breast cancer take someone they love, or have faced it themselves. Breast Cancer Awareness Month is our month too.”

Throughout October, we’ll be sharing stories, resources, and reminders to help our community stay informed and screened.

What You Can Do This Month

Awareness means the most when it turns into action. This October, we’re asking our community to:

Schedule your mammogram, and check whether your Pap or HPV test is due too.
Speak up about any changes you notice, even if you’re at an appointment for something else.
Look up free or low-cost screening through the NBCCEDP if cost is a barrier.
Share this post with someone who may be putting off screening.
Tell us your story if breast cancer has touched your life.

Informed. Empowered. Alive. That applies to every part of us.

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.

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