Amplifying Voices for a Cervical Cancer-Free Future

As we closed out National Cancer Survivors Month in June, Cervivor launched its own Patient Advocacy Month in July serving as a critical initiative that fuels our mission to end cervical cancer. This dedicated month highlights the significance of patient advocacy and empowers survivors, thrivers, and community supporters to join forces in the mission to end this preventable disease.

Patient advocacy is the backbone of the Cervivor organization. It’s the passion and dedication to ensuring that patients’ voices are heard, their needs are met, and their rights are respected. It’s about creating a platform for patients and survivors to share their stories, receive support, and access necessary resources. Patient advocacy is the catalyst for change, driving policy reforms, research advancements, and community engagement.

Patient advocacy is vital because it:

  • Humanizes the Statistics: Behind every cervical cancer diagnosis, there’s a face, a story, and a family. Patient advocacy puts a personal touch on the numbers, reminding us that every life and every story matters.
  • Breaks Down Barriers: Advocacy helps bridge gaps in healthcare access, education, and support, ensuring that no one faces cervical cancer alone.
  • Drives Progress: By amplifying patient voices, we push for innovative research, improved treatment options, and evidence-based policies.
  • Cultivates Community: Patient advocacy builds a network of patients, survivors, thrivers, and supporters, creating a safe space for connection, healing, education, and empowerment.

This Patient Advocacy Month, we invite you to:

  • Share Your Story: Write, post, or video-share your experience with cervical cancer or your support for the cause.
  • Wear Teal and White: Show your solidarity by donning teal and white attire, accessories, or ribbons. Bonus points if you join us on Tuesdays throughout the month (or year). Use hashtags #Cervivor #CervicalCancer #TealandWhiteTuesday.
  • Get Involved: Participate in local events, fundraisers, or awareness campaigns.
  • Fundraise or Donate: Support Cervivor’s mission and programs, helping us amplify patient voices and create a cervical cancer-free future.

This month, we’ll rise as a collective force, ensuring that every individual affected by cervical cancer receives the support, resources, and care they deserve. Join us in this critical effort, and let’s make a difference – one voice at a time.

Get involved today and help us create a future where no one faces cervical cancer alone!

We Are Cervivor: Spirit Week 2023 Recap

Cervivor Spirit Week gives our community a chance to bring some fun to an otherwise serious topic of cervical cancer awareness and prevention. As our Cervical Cancer Awareness Month Committee Co-Chair, Jenn Myers says, “It can be a heavy topic but we are the voices that need to do this work.”

We definitely had a ton of fun with everyone this week as we splashed social media with so much teal & white awareness! We love how many people took notice, shared their stories, and joined in on our cause.

Cervivor Español unofficially kicked off the spirit week with a MeetUp on Saturday then we transitioned into the theme days starting on Sunday! Sports Day Sunday brought out all the sporty-Cervivors representing their favorite teams. Lisa Gopman reminded us to get our cervical cancer screening and vaccinate our kids against HPV all while showing off her Bengal pride.

There were so many great Movie Monday quotes from some classic Hollywood films. Kel Bel spent the weekend watching Harry Potter movies with her daughter while recovering from her hysterectomy and shared this Albus Dumbeldore line that hits her every time, “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” Mic drop.

Our Cervivor Noir and Cervivor API groups kicked off their inaugural MeetUps to further our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion for anyone impacted by cervical cancer. There were stories shared so powerful and we cannot wait to see the work they all do in furthering our mission to end cervical cancer. (If you identify as Black, join Cervivor Noir and if you identify as Asian or Pacific Islander, join Cervivor API).

On Talk to Me Teal & White Tuesday we asked you what Cervivor means to you and here’s what you shared with us.

Cervivor means no one fights alone.” ~ Christy

Cervivor means sharing our stories and using our voices to spread awareness and to end cervical cancer and to let other women know they are not alone.” ~ Brooke

You gave us all the cozy vibes on Warm Up Wednesday and Cervivors were sharing pics snuggled under blankets and some with their pets. Joy shared the unconditional love from her cat and Arlene was living the Wonder Woman Snuggie life.

The favorite food of choice on Tasty Thursday seemed to be none other than… tacos! They really are the perfect food! Sharing our tasty treats helped us get ready for Saturday’s amazing session, Cooking with Tracy Citeroni, who demonstrated a versatile, healthy and delicious quinoa ‘risotto’. You can grab the recipe here to cook on your own!

We even kicked off our first-ever Cervivor Book Club meeting by discussing Brene Brown’s Daring Greatly! As we headed into our weekend, we asked you to share your happy places on TGIFriyay. Sand, surf, mountains, lakes, fireside, wilderness trails, and museum strolls hit the top of your lists for joy-inducing places we like to be.

And we ended this year’s spirit week with a favorite, Sock It To Cervical Cancer to bring out your favorite statement socks with a Cervivor flare!

Through this time, we continued to honor the joy and Cervivor spark of our late Cervivor sister, Jodi Madsen. Cervivor Spirit Week was one of her favorite things from last year and she was a master in fun content creation and social media advocacy.

We hope this week has inspired you to continue these ways of advocating throughout the rest of 2023. It is truly incredible to see the power of our community and it’s a great reminder that we are Cervivor and we are unstoppable!