English
As told to Marnie Goodfriend
January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month
In March 2022, I experienced lower back pain and started bleeding during intimate moments and other activities. I’ve felt bloated and tired and worried about bleeding since they removed my uterus in 2016 because I had endometriosis and adenomyosis.
When I had a routine Pap test in August, I started bleeding heavily. My gynecologist told me my cervix looked “very irritated.” Sample results showed swelling and blood, consistent with bleeding during the procedure. My cells seemed irregular, but she assured me it was nothing worrisome.
For some reason I felt like the bleeding after the Pap test wasn’t normal. I insisted that he investigate my situation further and agreed to a colposcopy and biopsy of my cervix. I was also bleeding heavily after that procedure so she ran more tests and tried to look for anything, including cancer, but she thought it might be something else or maybe nothing at all. I was frustrated. I wanted to trust my gynecologist, but I pushed for more tests because it seemed obvious to me that something was wrong with my cervix. During this time she told me she was sure it wasn’t cancer but offered no other explanation.
A few weeks later, he had received all the results except the cancer test. My gynecologist recommended surgery to remove my cervix because it was very irritated and wasn’t healing. I had already had six surgeries for other conditions and told him that I would not have another surgery unless absolutely necessary.
On October 5, the same day my uterus was removed six years earlier, my gynecologist called me and told me that the results indicated that I had early-stage adenocarcinoma, a type of cervical cancer. She said it was caught early and immediately referred me to a gynecologic oncologist. I got up from my desk to call my mom and now-husband and got back to work. I remember my husband texting me, “Could you stop work and come home?” I believe I did not respond appropriately due to the shock of receiving the cancer diagnosis. I didn’t know how to process what was happening to me.
The next day, my husband and I went to the oncologist at Mitchell Cancer Institute. It was great to feel seen and heard. The oncologist immediately recognized that she had a tumor and said it was at least stage 1. She performed another biopsy and further tests were scheduled, including a PET scan, CT scan and MRI, as well as another consultation to review the results. I was overwhelmed when it came to moving on with my life: How and when do I tell other people? How will I handle all the tests I have to take and how will they make me feel?
At follow-up, I was diagnosed with stage 1B3 cervical cancer, meaning the tumor, just over four centimeters in size, had not spread to my lymph nodes. The doctor said that my case would be presented to the multidisciplinary oncology committee to determine the diagnosis and treatment.
After further examination by the multidisciplinary oncology committee, it was determined that she had stage 2B cancer as the tumor had just broken through the uterine lining. Due to its size and spread, surgical removal of the tumor was not possible. Radiation and chemotherapy were my only therapeutic options. During testing and staging, I continued to work when I didn’t have appointments and had the flexibility to work from home once a week. Work was like an escape, it distracted me and gave me a sense of control. I also spent a lot of time researching cervical cancer to understand what was happening to me.
While my diagnosis strengthened my relationship with my husband, I knew I needed emotional support and community. That’s when I discovered Cervivor, a global cervical cancer patient group and a local group called Sisterhood of Survivorship. [Hermandad de la supervivencia] (SOS) through my cancer center. Cervivor helped me understand what to expect and there I found answers from people who had similar experiences. The local SOS group came to my aid, offering transportation to my counseling sessions and understanding what I was experiencing. I was very grateful that I had people in my life who knew what I was going through and who could be with me when I needed them most.
I started painting as a hobby during the pandemic, but it soon became a form of therapy during diagnosis and treatment, which changed my creativity. My first images during diagnosis had colors, textures, and patterns that captured my frustration. Later, my works became a way to give hope to my support groups. I wanted to express what it feels like to not be seen or heard from a woman’s perspective and how women are perceived as cancer patients.
A painting by Dani, 2024
In November, I had surgery to separate my intestines from my cervix, clear the radiation area, and remove my ovaries. After that, I immediately experienced surgical menopause and began working from home until I began chemotherapy and radiation therapy. In January I felt dizzy and even had a hard time sitting down. As I was hiring people for operational work, I tried to postpone projects as much as possible, but at some point I realized that I couldn’t continue doing this work. When I stopped I actually felt good because I could finally fully focus on my health.
Fortunately, my treatment was successful and I was officially in remission in August 2023. Chemotherapy is hard on the body, so in addition to getting a pap smear every six months, I also see multiple specialists and take multiple medications for side effects, including an autoimmune disease I was recently diagnosed with. I was able to go back to work in April and was promoted to team manager the following year. I love my job, but I also had financial reasons to return. While I have excellent medical benefits, I also incur a lot of out-of-pocket costs.
I also see a therapist who has helped me focus on and deal with the trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder I suffered from cancer treatment. Whenever I can, I try to educate people about self-care. This doesn’t just mean taking care of your nails and hair. Those things are good too, but self-care includes going to doctor’s appointments, doing follow-ups, and not ignoring the fact that something feels strange. It’s about listening to the inner voice that says, “Something’s wrong here.”
Don’t ignore your medical symptoms. Taking the time to figure out what’s happening to your body could save your life.
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Cervivor
This educational resource was created with support from Merck.
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