Cervivor Ambassador

A Decade

In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a commemoration of Mexican culture and heritage and many take this day to drink their favorite Margaritas (no judgement).  For me “El Cinco de Mayo“ or the fifth of May has a different meaning.  It is the day I celebrate being cancer FREE.  This year I am celebrating 10 years. Therefore, in my mind, everyone is celebrating with me.  So have a margarita for me.  

 Wow! 10 years – a whole decade – what a blessing. 

It is amazing to me that I am here.  Ten years ago, I did not see this as a possibility.  I found myself in a battle fighting for my life.   

I had just retired from the NYC Police Department after 20 years as a Police Officer.  I was getting ready to enjoy life with my husband, but unfortunately, I was deviated from my plans.  Three months after I retired, I was diagnosed with cervical cancer stage IIB.  

What do I do now? Am I going to die?  So many questions and so little answers.  I did not know anyone with this cancer.  I did not even know where it came from.  I was blaming myself for not going to see the doctor on a regular basis.  I have not seen my GYN doctor for over three years.  So much blame, so much shame, so much anger, so much sadness.  

 My journey was difficult to say the least.  After 7 treatments of chemotherapy, 35 treatments of external radiation, and 2 treatments of internal radiation, I was lucky enough to beat this cancer. Yes, I call myself lucky because these past ten years I have seen so many Cervivor sisters that have not made it through.  This makes my heart feel so sad and it brings mixed emotions to the surface.  The common survivor question comes up “why did I make it and not them?”  Sometimes we have to settle for no right answer, but I can assure this – their stories will continue to be shared and they will not be forgotten.

Cancer for sure changed my life forever.  I can look at the negative side and say cancer changed my body. I live in fear that this cancer can come back, I live with the physical and mental scars that this monster left me, I deal with the many secondary effects of my treatments, and I can go on with a big list of many other things. However, I choose to focus on the positive things that cancer gave me – I am part of an extraordinary cervical cancer community.  I have met women that are courageous, brave, strong, determined and supportive.  Women that have personally inspired and motivated me. Women with the common mission to eliminate this cancer forever – that our generation be the last generation with cervical cancer.  

I choose to live every day like it was my last and if it is not; I drop to my knees and give thanks.  

After my cancer, I wanted to make my survivorship count, and Cervivor gave me the opportunity to do just that.  I am a survivor turned advocate.  

 I share my story as many times as I need to. I educate women on the prevention and on the tools; we can utilize to prevent a cervical cancer diagnosis.  I make parents aware of the HPV vaccine for their children.  A vaccine that protects their child for the future from the six different cancers linked to Human Papillomavirus.  

I will be advocating for ten years this coming October and I am determined to continue to do so in the hope to make a difference.  

I try to live every day in the state of love and gratitude.  I am grateful that I am here. I am grateful for these past 10 years.  

Patti is not only a Cervivor Ambassador but also Cervivor’s Wellness Instructor for our Survivor Slimdown Facebook group.

Kilimanjaro Cancer Crusher

It’s funny the way life has a way of twisting and turning in unpredictable ways. I never imagined that I would have cancer, let alone cancer in my vagina. I also never imagined that my diagnosis would lead me around the world to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. But that’s exactly where I am heading in just two short months.

My adventure really begins with an abnormal Pap Test at the age of 34 after a routine gyn checkup. The moment the doctor told me I had HPV was something I will never forget. You could have knocked me over with a feather. I was surprised and mortified that I had an STI. Me? No way! But, yes, I am one of the 4 out of 5 Americans with HPV. Despite the several procedures my doctor tried to rid my cervix of the dysplasia nothing was working and I eventually had a total hysterectomy. HPV wasn’t done with me, however, and three years later symptoms returned and I was diagnosed with stage 2 vaginal cancer. This time surgery was not an option and I had two months of chemotherapy, external radiation and internal radiation. The treatment was successful and I have, very thankfully and gratefully, been cancer free for almost three years.

My cancer experience immediately brought life into focus and forced me to really examine what I was doing with mine. I rapidly decided upon 2 driving ideas….1) Although I was weaker and sicker than I had imagined possible, I was alive and recovering. I was determined to outlive my diagnosis and have as much adventure and travel as possible. And 2) I would dedicate my survivorship to prevent other women from living my experience and make my heartbreak count for others.

Since my treatment ended I have been working diligently on these two missions. I’ve learned how to whitewater kayak and paddled some of the most beautiful rivers and lakes in the South, and hiked the Rockies in Colorado and the Sierras in California. I met and was inspired by the adventure of an ovarian cancer survivor, advocate, and friend of mine to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Me? Sure, why not?! During this time I also became a passionate advocate for Cervivor and share HPV and cervical/vaginal cancer awareness and information at events and through social media.

Very quickly my two missions began to converge. My preparation and research of Kilimanjaro and Tanzania naturally brought me to global cervical cancer advocacy. I quickly uncovered the heartbreaking cervical cancer burden in Tanzania. Globally, more than 500k women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer and 270k of those women will die, 90% of them in underdeveloped regions. Women in Tanzania with the same diagnosis as me suffer from an astounding 80% mortality rate. A tragic combination of lack of reproductive health knowledge, access to medical treatment, trained professionals, and basic supplies usually means that women are diagnosed at more advanced stages than the typical American and often do not receive treatment.

The fact that so many women die at the hands of an almost completely preventable disease every year is a tragedy of epic proportion. There was no way I could travel to Kilimanjaro without trying to do whatever I could to help these women and communities. I pulled together a committed team of people, including my own gyn oncologist, to climb Kilimanjaro with me. We are dedicating our climb and have successfully met our goal to fund a cervical cancer screening clinic in Tanzania with the organization Cure Cervical Cancer. Our team leaves for Tanzania later this summer for the trip of a lifetime including a tour of a remote mobile cervical cancer screening clinic in Moshi, a 7-day hike up 19k feet on Mt. Kilimanjaro and a safari. We are training regularly, hiking a lot, and currently trying to coordinate our ridiculously long packing lists.

I came across a Steve Jobs’ quote the other day that struck me, “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” This whole adventure began with a “crazy” idea and a passion to DO something. With the help of my family, friends and supporters, my dreams are coming true and I could not be more humbled and grateful. My cancer does not define me, nor has it held me back. It fuels my fire to live my life with purpose and adventure. I hope my experiences inspire YOU – what’s your next adventure?

Read Sarah’s Cervivor story here.

Follow along with the Kili Cancer Crushers’ team on Facebook or Crowdrise.