Health Equity

21 Years of Cervivorship

Today, we’re celebrating a special edition of #TealandWhiteTuesday. Our Founder and Chief Visionary, Tamika Felder is celebrating 21 years of Cervivorship!

Tamika was just 25 years old when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer on April 12, 2001. She endured a hysterectomy stripping her of her fertility, followed by chemotherapy, and radiation. Cervical cancer changed her life forever. 

In 2005, she started Tamika & Friends, Inc. a nonprofit dedicated to cervical cancer survivors and their friends and family. At the time there truly wasn’t any support for cancer survivors and the Internet was just getting off the ground. Tamika needed support. She found the more she told her story, the more it reached other women. Tamika wanted to help empower others to share their stories and that’s how Cervivor was born!

But Tamika didn’t stop there. She understood her calling of living her life beyond a cervical cancer diagnosis. Over the years, she has continued to transform the lives of each person impacted by a cervical cancer diagnosis. Tamika not only empowers them to use their voice, but she teaches them that their pain can have purpose, and they have the power to create change.  

Here are a few things she’s learned as she looks back on her experience with cancer:

  • I was a survivor from the onset of my diagnosis. Each day is survivorship. Sure, there are huge milestones. The first year, the magical number 5. But what matters is each day is another day from the one before. 
  • No matter your faith (or lack thereof) cancer is scary. And it’s okay to be scared. 
  • We all get by with a little help (or really a lot) when it comes to cancer from our friends/family. 
  • You won’t ever be the same. As with any traumatic experience you are forever changed.
  • Accepting that cancer has changed you and living in the “new normal” means that you can move forward. Even if it’s at a slower pace. 
  • Life is meant to be lived. And it doesn’t matter how much time. Sure, I’ve never be told that there is nothing left but what I’ve learned from others who have is that you have to live while you have life within you. 
  • Surviving cancer doesn’t mean you have to live in a bubble. It also doesn’t mean you have to become a daredevil. 
  • Surviving means living. 

Tamika has dedicated her life to cancer advocacy from eliminating the stigma of the human papillomavirus (HPV) (and being deemed a “Cancer Rebel” by Newsweek), to training patient advocates to share their stories, and to eliminating the healthcare disparities within communities of color.

“My greatest lesson is that life comes with an expiration date — from cancer or otherwise. It matters what we do with our time here. Life continues to surprise me. I was diagnosed with cancer when I was 25. I’ll be 47 this year and life is still surprising me in the best way possible. I don’t know how many years I have left, but what I can tell you is that I am going to live in a way that says I survived cancer.”

– Tamika Felder, Founder and Chief Visionary, Cervivor


This is only a small fraction of what Tamika has accomplished since she began her journey with cervical cancer and we couldn’t be more grateful for her resilience and leadership to create the community we now know as Cervivor. Thank you, Tamika!

Join us in celebrating Tamika’s 21 years of Cervivorship by:
1. Start living life for YOU. Don’t wait until something traumatic happens to start living life.
2. Vote for Becky’s video. People die of cancer. I’m blessed to still be here. 
3. Donate $21 to Cervivor.
4. Schedule your cervical cancer screening.
5. Vaccinate your children and protect them from HPV-related cancers.

A Lifetime of Cancer Prevention Gains – and Still Counting

In the 1970s, the White House made a concerted effort to research, educate and make gains around the prevention of cancer. President Nixon signed The National Cancer Act in 1971. State health departments began to receive grants to research ovarian cancer screenings in 1974. By 1979, the surgeon general published diet guidelines that aided in cancer prevention.

This was happening in my lifetime – well, some of it. I’m younger than I look (well, I’d like to think so), but I want to point out that while the study of cancer as an epidemic began in the 18th century, it has only been about 50 years that we’ve committed time, research, funds and our stories to help find a cure.

And there’s still work to do!

For Cervivor, cancer prevention is a daily endeavor. We host discussions, connect with cervical cancer patients and their families, and advocate for health policies. But in February, National Cancer Prevention Month, we go full force with our partners to shine a light on the need for more attention, research, and cures for the numerous cancer categories that continue to take away beautiful lives from our families, circles of friends, and networks.

Need some ideas on how to observe the month with Cervivor? We’ve got ideas but would love to hear yours too. Your voice matters in this community.

Tamika Felder and fellow “Cervivors”.

I’m passionate about using my voice to prevent not only cervical cancer but all types. Cancer in too many forms has touched my life, my parents’, immediate family, distant family, and people in my community. Cancer is a horrific thing, and I want to be a part of the movement. While we can’t prevent all cancers, cervical cancer has a first-line to prevention. I hope in the future we have more preventive ways to save people from all cancers, and I’m ecstatic to know that the White House continues to support and rally to “end cancer as we know it.” 

Earlier this month on February 2, 2022, President Biden committed to reducing the death rate from cancer by at least 50% over the next 25 years. YES! He published a statement of support vowing to improve the experience of people and their families living with and surviving cancer and eradicate the disease. This commitment further propels me to do this work with our members and our partners.

In the words of President Biden this month, “It’s bold.  It’s ambitious.  But it’s completely doable.”

Interested in learning more?

Tamika Felder is a 20-year cervical cancer survivor, an award-winning television producer, author, blogger, podcaster, mentor, motivational speaker, and nonprofit founder. By telling her story, Tamika inspired other women to start speaking about HPV and cervical cancer, which led to a network of survivors supporting each other and educating each other. From this network, Cervivor was born.