Latina Cervivor Stories: Changing the Narrative about Cervical Cancer in Hispanic Communities This Hispanic Heritage Month

By Kyle Minnis, Cervivor Communications Assistant

Each year, Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15) honors the contributions and resilience of the more than 65 million Hispanic Americans who shape our nation’s culture, economy, and communities. It’s also an important opportunity to highlight persistent health disparities—particularly in cervical cancer prevention and treatment, which disproportionately affects Latina women.

Composite image of three Latina cervical cancer survivors with teal text: "LATINA SURVIVORS CHANGING THE NARRATIVE ON CERVICAL CANCER." The image highlights representation and advocacy for cervical cancer in Hispanic communities.

Latinas are 43% more likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer than non-Hispanic white women, and their risk of dying from it is 25 to 50% higher, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). They receive significantly fewer Pap tests and are less likely to follow up on abnormal results, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Barriers to care include stigma and silence around “below-the-belt” cancers, language differences, insurance gaps, transportation challenges, and inflexible work schedules, all of which delay diagnosis and limit access to lifesaving interventions.

Patient navigators like Nancy Peña—Founder and Director of Navegación de Pacientes Internacional (NPI), which trains Spanish-speaking clinical advocates across the U.S. and Latin America—champion bilingual education and culturally competent care, explaining, “Native-language navigation improves informed consent, adherence, and satisfaction; reduces errors and no-shows; and honors dignity.”

Bilingual clinical patient navigator Nancy Peña spoke to attendees at the 2024 Cervical Cancer Summit.

HPV vaccine uptake among Hispanic youth and young adults also remains low. While 63% of U.S. adolescents ages 13 to 17 are up to date on the full series, Hispanic adults ages 18 to 26 lag behind: According to the latest National Health Interview Survey, only 36% had received at least one dose, and just 21.5% had completed the full series—far below the national goal of 80% two-dose completion by age 15.

As Cervivor has reported, in many traditional households—Hispanic or otherwise—the vaccine is still seen to promote promiscuity. “It’s so important to speak openly with our children about cervical cancer and the HPV vaccine,” says cervical cancer survivor Maritza Manjarrez, a Cervivor Español member who was raised in a Mexican family. “Vaccinating our youth doesn’t mean we’re giving them permission to have sex—it means we’re protecting them from a cancer that can develop later in life.”

Cervivor’s mission is to help eliminate cervical cancer while also lifting survivors from isolation, providing community and education, and empowering those affected to become advocates. This Hispanic Heritage Month, we celebrate our Latina community members—including Maritza, Dulcely Tavarez, Yvette Torres, and many more—by amplifying their stories and strength. Their voices demonstrate what it means to live beyond cervical cancer while advocating for health equity and compassion.

Maritza Manjarrez: Breaking the Silence

Maritza recently graduated from Cervivor School 2025.

“My cervical cancer journey has been especially difficult as a Latina. The stigma surrounding HPV and cervical cancer in our community has played a huge role in that,” says Maritza, who was diagnosed with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma at age 34. “Growing up Mexican meant you didn’t talk openly about topics like this. Keeping what was considered ‘private information’ to myself made it very hard to find help, support groups, or even basic information.”

That silence meant it took Maritza years to find Cervivor and feel comfortable sharing her story. “When asked what type of cancer I had, I felt a sense of shame and embarrassment to answer cervical cancer,” she recalls. “I believe this stigma plays a big role in the statistics. It makes me sad and worried, because if we don’t increase advocacy, these numbers are not going to change. Too many of our women are dying from this preventable disease.”

Dulcely Tavarez: Shattered Dreams, Renewed Fire

Dulcely Tavarez

Dulcely describes being in her early twenties, putting her own health last while caring for others, a struggle familiar to many Latinas. In April 2015, she finally saw a doctor about her irregular menstrual cycles, but was bounced between providers before receiving a cervical cancer diagnosis. “‘Later’ almost cost me everything. By the time I was diagnosed, the treatment I needed was life-saving but meant I could never carry a child.”

Dulcely’s family surrounded her with care and love, but it sometimes intensified her grief and isolation. “In our community, family and children are seen as such a natural part of life that it’s hard to explain the emptiness when that dream is taken away. Even when they were trying to comfort me, sometimes I felt alone in those emotions.”

She found healing in Cervivor. “When I looked for stories that reflected my own—young, Latina, facing cancer and fertility loss—I couldn’t find them. And that loneliness can be crushing. We need to see ourselves in these campaigns, in our own language, in ways that reflect our values and struggles. Representation is not just about visibility—it’s about saving lives and healing hearts.”

Thanks to her involvement with Cervivor, Dulcely became the first-ever recipient of the Cervivor Baby Gift Fund at this January’s 2025 Cervical Cancer Summit. The award supports cervical cancer survivors pursuing alternative paths to motherhood and accepts donations from $10 to $50,000.

Dulcely gets a hug—after receiving the first-ever Cervivor Baby Gift Fund—from Cervivor Founder and Chief Visionary Tamika Felder at the 2025 Cervical Cancer Summit.

Yvette Torres: From Shame to Advocacy

Yvette Torres

Yvette’s cancer journey began with an unsympathetic, unprofessional diagnosis. “The doctor asked, ‘Why did I wait so long?’ Still in shock, I did not answer that callous question,” she recalls. At 42, she and her husband had been hoping for another child so their youngest son could have a closer-in-age sibling—but that hope ended with a biopsy, performed on her son’s 4th birthday, that confirmed cervical cancer in 2013. She remembers the OB/GYN telling her it “didn’t look good,” that it was most likely cancer, and later saying it was a “good thing I already had two children,” since treatment would likely take away her chance to have more.

This cold medical treatment reinforced how stigma and cultural silence can delay women from seeking care. Yvette shares, “I hid. I felt ashamed. I didn’t want to talk about it because that’s what I learned growing up—we didn’t talk about below-the-belt issues. My mother did teach me the importance of going to the gynecologist. However, I did not feel comfortable talking about details, differences, or changes in my body.” Her experience echoes what many Cervivor Español members describe: how misconceptions about HPV, reluctance to discuss gynecologic cancers, and language barriers all contribute to lower screening and vaccination rates.

For Yvette, community was the turning point. “I found Cervivor during COVID, when isolation made everything feel even worse.” Through Cervivor Español, she gained the confidence to speak out in Spanish, even though she hadn’t grown up fluent, and now distributes bilingual prevention materials. “Now, I celebrate and embrace my Black and Hispanic identity by advocating for these communities and helping women not feel ashamed by sharing my story,” says Yvette, a 2023 Cervivor Champion and recent top Tell 20, Give 20 fundraiser, who also mobilized her students through a school workplace drive to spread awareness.

Join the Movement to End Cervical Cancer Disparities in Hispanic Communities

Latinas make up 20% of the U.S. population, and their stories of surviving cancer, overcoming setbacks, and celebrating successes deserve to be heard—not just during Hispanic Heritage Month. Whether navigating care in a new language, confronting cultural silence around cancer, or redefining family and identity after treatment, Latina Cervivors show that community and compassion can transform what’s possible.

To help reduce cervical cancer diagnoses and improve outcomes for Hispanic individuals with a cervix, take action today by:

  • Sharing your Cervivor Story to put a face on a cancer that is too often hidden or hushed.

  • Supporting Cervivor’s 20th-year Tell 20, Give 20 campaign to fund culturally relevant programming and Cervivor Español support group (and sign up for next month’s event).

  • Advocating for bilingual programs—like Nancy Peña’s NPI patient navigators—that help create more equitable care pathways.

  • Championing advocacy groups such as the ACSí Se Puede Hispanic/Latino Advocacy Alliance, which amplify voices and expand access for Spanish-speaking communities.

  • Using your voice. If you speak Spanish—whether fluently or conversationally—you can support those facing language barriers. Talk with them about the life-saving benefits of HPV vaccination, regular screenings, and timely follow-ups.

Lastly, honor the voices of Maritza, Dulcely, and Yvette—and so many others—by making this Hispanic Heritage Month a catalyst for lasting change. As Dulcely reminds us:

“Please don’t wait. Don’t push your health to the bottom of the list the way I did… To the mothers—protect your children with the HPV vaccine. It’s an act of love. To my fellow women—know your worth, use your voice, and never stop fighting for answers.”

If you found this blog post helpful, please share it with friends or family members. You may just save a life. Questions? Contact us at [email protected].

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 senior studying Strategic Communications at the University of Kansas. He is currently serving as Cervivor’s Communications Assistant.

Cervical Cancer in Rural America: The Roots of the Problem and Seeds of Hope

Based on the latest U.S. Census, roughly 20% of Americans—about 62.8 million people—live in rural areas, from the Deep South to Midwestern farmlands to border towns out West. While rural life offers perks like a lower cost of living, less congestion, and star-filled skies, these benefits often come with limited healthcare options and other barriers to access.

And when it comes to cancer—cervical cancer, in particular—the trade-offs can mean life or death. 

Although cancer death rates have declined nationwide, they remain higher and have decreased more slowly in rural areas compared to urban ones, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Cervical cancer death rates are especially high in some rural regions. In places like Appalachian Kentucky, they are nearly double the national average. A major reason? Women in these areas are more likely to be diagnosed at later stages, when the disease is harder to treat.

Behind these statistics are real women and families—with excessive wait times to see nearby doctors, lower human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates, and healthcare often clouded by stigma or medical bias. For National Public Health Week (April 6–12)—a time to advocate for health equity for all Americans—Cervivor, Inc. is digging into the complex challenge of reducing cervical cancer deaths in rural communities across the country. 

These survivors’ stories underscore the urgency of addressing rural health disparities and the personal nature of this preventable disease—stories like Julianna’s.

Julianna’s Story

Julianna Ferrone

Six months before her 2020 cervical cancer diagnosis, Julianna Ferrone began experiencing symptoms such as bloating, bleeding, prolonged periods, and back pain. Living in Auburn, Alabama—a small college town with just one hospital and 300 doctors serving 11 counties—the 27-year-old had limited healthcare options and felt like she wasn’t being “taken seriously.” Making matters worse, many gynecologists in the area weren’t accepting new patients due to the pandemic. Her symptoms continued to worsen.

“After realizing I was not going to get the medical attention I needed locally due to limited resources, I found a doctor at the Georgia Cancer Center, over 100 miles away,” shares Julianna, who wrote a lengthy letter explaining her symptoms, concerns, and lack of access to care. The Georgia doctor saw her within two weeks.

During that first visit, the doctor gave Julianna a physical exam, noted her symptoms, and did an overdue cervical cancer screening. When the results came back abnormal, they developed a treatment plan that included four rounds of Cisplatin chemotherapy (to kill or slow cancer cells), 25 pelvic radiation treatments (to target cancer cells in the area), and two rounds of brachytherapy (internal radiation placed near the tumor). Before treatments could begin, however, Julianna required multiple surgeries.

Julianna’s “big belly photo,” before undergoing several surgeries to remove cancerous and scar tissue.

“The big belly photo was taken the day before my exploratory surgery when doctors removed my appendix because the cancer had spread there as well as endometriosis scar tissue,” says Julianna of this image of her bloated stomach. That same day, she underwent a colposcopy to examine her cervix for cancer, which returned abnormal results as well. Days later, she endured a four-hour hysterectomy that included the removal of multiple lymph nodes. On top of these grueling procedures and treatments, she spent countless hours commuting to Georgia from Alabama with her mother.

She has since experienced a recurrence and relocated to the Atlanta suburbs for better access to ongoing care. “Even living an hour outside Atlanta, there’s still a huge health disparity,” Julianna observes. “But I’m grateful to have surveillance appointments every three months at the cancer center.”

Today, the 2023 Cervivor School graduate advocates for awareness and prevention, lobbying state legislators, participating in American Cancer Society panels, and securing a gubernatorial proclamation recognizing Cervical Cancer Awareness Month in Georgia—a feat she was “ecstatic” about.  

“This cancer is preventable—and we need to start talking about it,” she says, emphasizing that thousands of lives in Georgia could be saved through awareness. “There is such a stigma surrounding HPV and cervical cancer, especially in the South.” 

Julianna at Cervivor School Seattle in 2023, where her passion for patient advocacy was ignited, leading to lobbying efforts in Georgia.

Breaking Barriers to Care: Stigma and Bias

Since 1991, the CDC’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) has provided free or low-cost mammograms and Pap tests to over 5.6 million women, detecting more than 57,000 breast cancer cases and 12,000 cervical cancer cases. Operating in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several U.S. territories, the program collaborates with local health organizations to offer these life-saving services. Its goal? Reaching women at risk of delayed or skipped screenings.

Despite the public health program’s success, stigma remains—especially in some rural and conservative communities—where visiting a free clinic can lead to assumptions about a person’s financial or sexual health status.

During a panel on HPV vaccination at the 2025 Cervical Cancer Summit, Dr. Deanna Kepka shared her experience working on successful public health initiatives in Utah.

Dr. Deanna Kepka, PhD, MPH, a researcher at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, works closely with rural and religious communities in Utah, including members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Speaking at Cervivor’s 2025 Cervical Cancer Summit, she described how stigma around sexual health often delays screenings and deters HPV vaccination.

She recalled working with Mandy Murray, a woman from a conservative LDS background who developed cervical cancer after experiencing sexual abuse. Although Mandy initially kept her diagnosis private, she eventually shared her story in 2018 through a book and on the Cervivor Blog, helping to raise awareness about cervical cancer screening and early detection as well as to show the power of breaking shame-induced silence.

Claudia Pérez-Favela

Cervivor community member Claudia Pérez-Favela, who lives in California’s agricultural Imperial Valley, knows that stigma and bias can also exist within the medical system itself. Diagnosed with pre-cervical dysplasia caused by HPV in April 2018, she waited months to see a gynecologist while experiencing irregular periods and heavy bleeding. With a family history of ovarian cancer, Claudia chose to undergo a radical hysterectomy, including the removal of her ovaries. She was declared NED (No Evidence of Disease) just one month later.

But for Claudia, the hardest part wasn’t the wait—it was the care she received after her diagnosis. “From the moment I was diagnosed, I was met with judgment and misinformation,” she recalls. She was told her husband must have been unfaithful and faced other outdated assumptions. “The physician assistant didn’t explain my condition professionally—she let her personal bias take over because my cancer was HPV-related. Everything I now know about cervical cancer, I learned thanks to Cervivor.”

Living in a rural area made it difficult to find an alternate provider. She says, “When options are limited, you’re stuck with whoever is available—even if they’re overworked, unprofessional, or biased.” Today, Claudia often crosses the border into Mexico for more accessible, respectful care. “I can see a specialist there within a week.”

Turning the Tide on HPV Vaccination 

Research confirms that the HPV vaccine saves lives. In countries like Australia and Rwanda—where vaccination rates exceed 85% and 90%, respectively—cervical cancer is on the path to elimination.

The U.S. has a long way to go. In 2019, the CDC highlighted the “urgent need” to increase the national HPV vaccination rate to 80%, reporting that the vaccine could prevent up to 92% of HPV-related cancers, which still account for nearly 50,000 new cases annually, including about 12,000 cervical cancer cases. However, as of 2022, only 38.6% of children ages 9 to 17 in the U.S. had received at least one dose, according to a National Health Interview Survey. (Two doses of the vaccine are recommended for this age group, and three for those 18 and older.)

The same year, data showed disparities in HPV vaccination rates based on where kids lived: 40% of children in large metropolitan areas had received at least one dose, compared to just 30% in nonmetropolitan areas. Additionally, a 2025 study on overall childhood vaccination trends found that rural areas not only lag behind in vaccination rates but are also seeing slower increases compared to urban regions.

April 7 to 11 is Adolescent Immunization Action Week (AIAW25), a great reminder for all families to stay on TASK with vaccines: Trust reliable sources (like Cervivor!), Ask questions, Schedule vaccines, and Know where to get vaccinated.

Despite ongoing challenges for vaccine advocates—and recent headlines about deadly measles outbreaks among unvaccinated children in rural Texas—there have also been notable successes.

In Utah, Dr. Kepka recounts how partnerships between the state health department and local providers have transformed HPV vaccination rates. “When I started working in Utah, we were always ranked 45th, 46th, or 47th in vaccination rates, and it was difficult to get healthcare team members on board,” she recalls. 

Today, Utah leads the country, thanks largely to its vaccine registry, which identifies children eligible for vaccination as early as age 9. This proactive approach allows families to protect their children before puberty and becoming sexually active, making the vaccine an “easier pill to swallow” for LDS and other conservative families, Dr. Kepka explains.

Bringing Care Closer to Home

Morgan Newman, MSW

Beyond these barriers, one of the greatest challenges facing rural Americans in accessing care is often, quite literally, the distance to healthcare services, as survivor Julianna experienced.

Cervivor’s Community Engagement Liaison, Morgan Newman, who grew up in Greenfield, an Iowa town of 2,000, has experienced these disparities firsthand. “Specialists, including gynecologic oncologists, are limited, and patients face obstacles like transportation, lodging, time off work, and finances,” says Morgan, whose advocacy is rooted in her own cervical cancer diagnosis at age 24. “Iowa currently ranks second in overall cancer incidence, just behind Kentucky,” she says, citing both lifestyle and environmental factors such as high levels of radon. “It’s scary.”

Now working on the front lines of public health with Iowa experts, Morgan travels across the state to attend events ranging from school nurse conferences to HPV vaccination initiatives. She also serves on the Iowa Cancer Consortium Board of Directors and is committed to improving healthcare access, cervical cancer awareness, immunization education, and cancer policy.

Morgan, Iowa State Lead Ambassador for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), advocates for better healthcare access for all Iowans—including a recent day of educating state officials. Afterward, she helped host a virtual support group for the Cervivor community.

Several promising solutions have been proposed to close the cervical cancer care gap in rural communities—and bring life-saving health services closer to home—though challenges remain in scaling these efforts:

  • Expand Screening Options: New self-collection HPV tests offer a discreet and convenient way to get screened, helping to reduce barriers such as transportation and long appointment wait times. However, widespread adoption will require targeted education for patients, providers, and communities, particularly in rural areas.
  • Increase Vaccine Access Points: Mobile vaccine clinics have proven successful when set up in accessible locations, such as Walmart parking lots on payday in Appalachian Kentucky. Utilizing pharmacies, school-based programs, dental offices, and providers through the CDC’s Vaccines for Children Program can bring vaccines closer to where families live, work, and shop.
  • Leverage Telehealth: Follow-up care via telehealth allows patients to consult with providers without traveling long distances. While access to high-speed internet remains a challenge in some rural areas, many patients can still connect via cell phones, satellite service, or computers at local libraries.

Seeds of Hope: The Power of Rural Voices

“Storytelling and personal recommendations are key in rural areas,” one public health researcher shared with Cervivor. “Word-of-mouth is a powerful tool for spreading information.”

This is why Cervivor Founder and Chief Visionary, Tamika Felder, launched the organization 20 years ago. “I’ve always believed that sharing your story can change minds—and change the world,” she says. Since then, hundreds of survivors have shared their Cervivor Stories

Reflecting on her experience with medical bias, California-based Cervivor Ambassador Claudia—now an active bilingual advocate in her rural community—believes survivors can educate healthcare providers. “HPV and cervical cancer are rarely discussed, leading to misinformation—even among healthcare workers. This fosters stigma, silence, and leaves women feeling isolated.” She adds, “Survivors can teach healthcare providers how clear, empathetic communication can make all the difference—or how its absence can cause harm.”

For her dedicated advocacy, Claudia received the Cervivor Rising Star Award from founder Tamika at the 2024 Cervivor School in Minneapolis.

Utah-based Dr. Kepka stresses that women’s health is a community issue and needs community-driven solutions. “Don’t give up,” she encourages fellow health workers and advocates. “Keep sharing the facts—this is a ‘cancer-prevention vaccine’ or a ‘new approach for cervical cancer screening’—and be present in the community.”

Cervivor is equally committed to addressing health disparities and misinformation in rural areas through:

  • Educational Outreach: The #Screen4Me campaign promotes life-saving cervical cancer screening and early detection nationwide. Through groups like Cervivor Español and initiatives like Cervivor Cares, we provide vital information to diverse communities using multilingual resources.
  • Resource Support: Cervivor offers critical resources to underserved communities with initiatives like Cervivor Cares Gift Cards (for which you can nominate yourself or someone else or be sponsored) and the Comfort Care & Compassion Program (which can also be requested).  
  • Community Support: Creating Connections is a regular virtual support group that gives cervical cancer patients and survivors a safe, welcoming space to share, heal, and find community—from the comfort of home. Register for the May 2025 gathering. 
  • Credible Information: Through the Cervivor website, podcast, CervivorTV, and social media channels, we share actionable tips and public health guidance to help people stay informed about cervical cancer prevention. 
Claudia (first from left) and other members of Cervivor Español do bilingual outreach around the country and in their local communities.

Ultimately, planting seeds of hope—through individual stories and grassroots efforts—may offer the greatest potential for reducing cervical cancer death rates and ensuring that the next generation of rural Americans is free from HPV-related cancers, like cervical cancer.

Support the Mission!

Cervivor is leading the fight to eliminate cervical cancer here and around the globe. Support our mission through the Tell 20, Give 20 campaign, designed to spread awareness and continue to fund life-saving initiatives. (Read about the campaign’s success thus far and how to get involved.)


Have questions about this blog post or anything related to Cervivor or cervical cancer? Send them our way at [email protected]. Have your own Cervivor Story to share? Fill out this form, and we’ll be in touch!