gynecologic cancer awareness

Partnerships and Advocacy Count

20151002_211244Advocacy. It’s thankless. It’s tiring. At times, it’s brutal. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Our work is necessary and it makes a difference. Without it, we wouldn’t be the first to go down in history as the first cure for cancer. Do you understand how important that is? Cancer cure. Every single thing we do individually takes us to a much bigger win collectively.

This weekend, I will speak at the National Race to End Women’s Cancer here in D.C., along with other women’s cancer champions, like Camille Grammer, on why our advocacy is so important. The Foundation for Women’s Cancer has been such a wonderful partner to Cervivor over the years and our work together can only continue to gain momentum as we fight to end all women’s cancers.

Here’s why we do it:

  • 98,000 American women will be diagnosed with a GYN Cancer this year, and almost 30,000 — nearly a third — will die.
  • Due to the lack of early screening tools (except for cervical cancer, for which there is HPV and PAP testing) women with these “below the belt” reproductive cancers — cervical, endometrial/uterine, ovarian, vaginal and vulvar — are often diagnosed in the late stages of disease and too many have poorer outcomes.
  • Far too few women recognize the symptoms, which rise with weight, age and other factors, including heredity.

The Foundation for Women’s Cancer urges all women to:

  • LEARN the symptoms
  • LISTEN to their bodies
  • ACT by seeking care from a gynecologic oncologist, because research shows women have better outcomes when treated by these specialists who have 7 additional years of training.

You still have time to join the race or donate to the cause. Go to endwomenscancer.org for more information.

— Tamika

Celebrating milestones after cervical cancer

Untitled design10/10/2015: the day I turned 44. Pretty amazing I think… for me, celebrating another birthday is pretty amazing!
In the morning of my 44th birthday I look at the mirror and see a few changes: my unmanageable hair has more grays than I can count (thank God for hair color and balayages and whatever new thing my stylist does to hide them!); I notice a few more wrinkles although not too bad for my age; the stubborn age spots that won’t go away courtesy of many years of sunbathing at Playa Azul; oh, and of course, the extra pounds… Yes, I have changed a lot in 44 years, but looking at the mirror I notice something else, the happiness that radiates from my face. Yes, I am in fact happy, and today, I am happy to be alive and I am grateful, so, so grateful!
I find birthdays are a great opportunity for reflection; this is not something I did when I was younger but after you are told “you have cancer” birthdays take a whole new meaning. Cancer almost killed me at 27, I was literally told to decide if I wanted to be resuscitated or not because my condition was not improving. Most people don’t realize that, when you have cancer, you end up fighting a few different battles all at once; there’s the cancer (those bad cells multiplying like crazy trying to make your body their home), then there is the side effects of the treatments (the constant puking, the incredible weakness, the insomnia, the constant bathroom tours because the radiation pretty much messes up all the areas around the cervix); and then there are the complications that come with the illness (the infections, blood clots, anemia, etc.) Fighting cancer is not an easy fight, there are too many things to do and watch for, but it is a fight that you put all your effort into just for a chance to live one more day.

Read Maria’s full post.