Hope

Make August Matter! Join Cervivor’s Tell 20, Give 20 Campaign and Help Save Lives

As summer winds down, August offers a fresh start—and a powerful opportunity to make a lasting impact in the fight against cervical cancer, a preventable disease that still claims far too many lives.

Each year in the U.S., more than 13,000 people are diagnosed with cervical cancer. Despite effective screening and vaccines, the disease disproportionately affects underserved communities and people of color.

For 20 years, Cervivor, Inc., has been at the forefront of ending cervical cancer and ensuring no one has to face it alone. If you’re part of our community, you already know:

  • Support brings hope
  • Awareness saves lives
  • Community changes everything

And right now, Cervivor’s mission is more urgent than ever.

Sponsorships are slowing. Federal funding is shrinking. And access to life-saving care is being stripped away from far too many. Crucial programs like our Cervical Cancer Patient Advocacy Retreat for Communities of Color and the Comfort Care & Compassion Program are at risk without renewed support.

But cervical cancer doesn’t wait—and neither can we.

Participants at the 2024 Cervical Cancer Patient Advocacy Retreat for Communities of Color
Personalized greeting cards sent as part of the Comfort Care & Compassion Program

That’s why we’re reigniting our year-long Tell 20, Give 20 fundraising campaign. You helped us exceed our initial goal of raising $20,000 in March. Now, we need to regain that momentum… and Make August Matter!

How to Make August Matter 

In case you need a quick refresher, Cervivor’s Tell 20, Give 20 campaign is simple, but powerful:

  • Tell 20 people—friends, family, coworkers, even strangers—why you support Cervivor’s life-saving work, and ask them to do the same.
  • Give $20 (or more!) and invite others to join you. Every dollar supports real programs and creates real change.

Launched during Cervical Cancer Awareness Month in January 2025, the campaign has already made a powerful impact thanks to generous donors and enthusiastic participants. So far, Cervivor has:

  • Educated thousands about HPV and cervical cancer prevention and treatment
  • Supported patients, survivors, and thrivers through our programs and services
  • Advocated for policies that promote awareness and prevention

This August, help us take it even further—our goal is to raise an additional $20,000 before year’s end. Download our digital toolkit to get involved: Host a microfundraiser, ask your employer to support our mission, or simply share our life-saving posts online, using the hashtag #Tell20Give20. 

Even small actions make a big difference. 

Key Dates to Support & Share

Cervivor will be sharing content or hosting virtual events on these dates to make it easy for you to spread the word and come together to support the Tell 20, Give 20 campaign.

  • August 1—Campaign kickoff + National Immunization Awareness Month begins
  • August 5 & 19—Below the Belt Conversations on Instagram Live (7 PM EST)
  • August 12—Creating Connections: August MeetUp (register now)
  • August 17—National Nonprofit Day: a perfect time to rally support for Cervivor
  • August 19—National Patient Advocacy Day: Spotlight cervical cancer advocacy and share your story
  • August 20—Tell 20 Day: Let’s go big and amplify Cervivor’s impact!
  • August 28—Celebrate Black Philanthropy Month by championing health equity on Give 8/28
  • Every Thursday—Join us on socials for Tell 20 Thursdays: quick ways to spark conversations and keep the momentum strong

We’re deeply grateful for the support of our community and the allies who stand with us. Together, we’re moving closer to a future free of cervical cancer.

Remember, you have the power to make a difference. You have the power to save lives. So mark your calendar—and let’s Make August Matter! 

October: A Time of Reflection, Resilience, and Roaring Against Cancer

Here in Indiana, October marks a turning point. The green of summer gives way to a stunning tapestry of gold, yellow, and orange. The mornings and evenings greet us with a chill in the air, hinting at the winter to come. For many, it’s simply a season of transition. But for me, October carries much deeper significance.

This month is an anniversary—one that marks battles I never expected to fight. It was in October, 10 years ago, that I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Then, just two years later, in the same month, I heard those dreaded words again: breast cancer. So, for me, October is a time of scanxiety—anxiety over upcoming tests, mixed with moments of reflection that can sometimes feel like reliving trauma. But it’s also a time of gratitude, because I’m still here, standing strong.

October is also the month when pink ribbons seem to bloom everywhere, spreading messages of hope for breast cancer warriors, survivors, and thrivers. And while I appreciate the awareness, I’m tired—tired of cancer’s relentless presence in my life. It wasn’t just my diagnosis. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Then my aunt. Then me. My cousin. And now, just recently, my sister. It’s as if cancer has drawn a line through generations of my family, and the next in line could be my daughter.

My beautiful family including my sister and her family plus our parents.

The only silver lining? We’re catching it earlier. My mother and aunt were diagnosed with stage 3, while my cousin, sister, and I were caught at stage 0 or stage 1. Early detection saves lives, but that doesn’t lessen the emotional toll.

Here’s the reality: 1 in 8 women reading this will face breast cancer in their lifetime. Think about that. According to Komen.org, the two most common risk factors are simply being born female and getting older. It’s staggering, and it’s unacceptable. Breast cancer and cervical cancer share more in common than we often acknowledge, and both must be stopped.

When I got my breast cancer diagnosis, I was in shock. I had just finished treatment for stage 3B cervical cancer. I couldn’t comprehend how cancer had returned, but there it was—another battle, another round of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. And now, watching my sister go through it? I refuse to let my daughter face the same fate without a fight.

So yes, I’m wearing my pink this October. I’m mad as hell, and I’m making sure legislators, researchers, and anyone who will listen hears my voice. Come January, I’ll be wearing teal and white, advocating just as fiercely for cervical cancer awareness.

Mom hugging her sister, Beverly who lost her 10 year journey with breast cancer in 2018.
Me standing strong and advocating for cancer policy.

We cannot stop talking about breast and cervical cancer. We must continue fighting for better treatments, vaccines, healthcare equality, and cures. We are the warriors, the survivors, and the thrivers. And in the words of Helen Reddy: “I am woman, hear me roar!”

Laura Lemons (she/her/hers) is a 2019 alumni of Cervivor School and a Cervivor Ambassador. She is a volunteer for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) for the state of Indiana and was an advocate for the Lymphedema Treatment Act (LTA) which passed in 2023. Her journey as an advocate for equitable healthcare began after witnessing disparities while receiving treatments for cervical and breast cancer. Laura is particularly passionate about addressing the stigma surrounding gynecological cancers. A proud central Indiana native, Laura lives with her husband, Jim, and their dogs, Bella and Sylvie. She is also a mother to two adult daughters, Allison and Melissa.