By Victoria Donado
It was a Sunday afternoon in October 2017. I was on the couch, scrolling while enjoying a quiet afternoon at home. My mom called my sister and I into her room with an anxious look on her face. Her hands were clasped together tightly, and I could see the tension throughout her body. “Your aunt has been diagnosed with cancer,” she said. I felt my heart constrict in my chest.
My aunt was the life of the party. She was full of laughter and hugs and always had stories to tell. She was the kind of aunt that you could call at any time of the day. She was always comforting, and made you feel better after talking to her. I was shocked to hear that my aunt was fighting for her life.
I sat at the end of my mom’s bed and just stared as the sunlight came in through the window. Everything around me seemed to be moving in slow motion. I could not believe what I was hearing.
The days ahead blurred together. Every test result, every scan and every chemotherapy session brought a mixture of hope and fear. My aunt continued to fight, taking all the doctor’s recommendations, with the hope of beating cancer.
Christmas passed, and we were supposed to be preparing for the new year, reflecting on hope and new beginnings and making resolutions for 2018. Instead, one day before New Year’s Eve, we received a phone call that my aunt had passed away.
I remember sitting in my room, staring at the wall as if the world had paused around me. While others were celebrating, my family was trying to process an unimaginable loss. Everything had changed in a matter of months, and I struggled to understand how life could change so fast.
At the time, I was too young and overwhelmed by grief to question why my aunt’s cancer had progressed so quickly, but years later I began to understand that we can’t take our health for granted. Cervical cancer, in many cases, is preventable, but only when detected early through regular screenings and being vigilant about your health. Today, the HPV vaccine offers a frontline defense and is one of the few tools available that can actually prevent cancer before it begins.
After losing her sister, my mom became more proactive about my sister’s and my health care, ensuring that we were up to date on our checkups and screenings to prevent similar loss from happening again.
Years later, the past came back. During one of my sister’s routine checkups, the doctor had detected an abnormality in her cervix, something that could potentially lead to the same kind of cancer that had taken our aunt less than 10 years ago. She had been diagnosed with human papillomavirus, which is one of the leading causes of cervical cancer.
My mom immediately told my sister to schedule a follow-up appointment and began researching what an HPV diagnosis meant. We accompanied my sister to her visit, where the doctor explained that while there is no treatment for the virus itself, careful monitoring and routine screenings are essential in order to find any abnormal changes in their early stages. An emphasis on maintaining consistency was made, which encouraged my sister to stay proactive with her follow-up care.
While reflecting on my aunt’s memory and my sister’s experience, I came to understand just how delicate life is and how important it is to prioritize our health. During this difficult time, I made an effort to support my sister and make sure she never felt like she was going through this alone. Simultaneously, her experience pushed me to think more seriously about my own health and the ways I could prevent future illnesses. I had learned that health is a privilege that requires intentional care. I became more proactive by staying consistent with my annual checkups, creating healthier lifestyle habits and making better nutritional choices that support my overall wellbeing.
What I have learned from this experience is that cervical cancer is not just about one person, it is about all women everywhere. According to the American Cancer Society, thousands of women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year, mainly due to inadequate screening and a lack of access to health care. While an active HPV infection often clears on its own, the virus — one of the primary causes of cervical cancer — remains in the body and requires regular monitoring to catch abnormalities early. Regular Pap smears and HPV screenings are essential for early detection, and the HPV vaccine provides a powerful preventative measure against the most high-risk strains of the virus.
Our experience with cervical cancer serves as a wake-up call for all of us. Prevention is not just about taking care of ourselves; it is about being proactive in taking care of those that we love.
Victoria Donado is a third-year public health and economics major.
“My Public Health Story” essays originated from an assignment on public health storytelling for a public health messaging and dissemination course led by Gaia Zori, Ph.D., M.P.H., coordinator for the social and behavioral sciences and public health practice concentrations in the Master of Public Health program.