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Cervical Cancer – One person’s Journey

**The following post is a part of our blog series that we will do each month as a part of our cancer observance mission information.  These courageous cancer survivors are sharing their story…..the good, the bad and sometimes the ugly.  But the great news, thanks to the work of the American Cancer Society, they are with us today and we hope these stories provide inspiration to all who read them. 

 

MY FIRST CANCER
Teena Miller
VOICE OF HOPE, WESTERN STATES USA
Once upon a time that seems SO longggg ago I awoke one early morning to pain and hemorrhaging. It was as if the gates to my vagina had cracked open and the damn broke ! I could not stop the flow of blood that was so heavy- my little daughters had to
bring me bath towels to staunch the ever-onward gush of blood. I was clueless as to what was the cause, BUT MORE importantly WHEN would it STOP??!!
Needless to say I was scared out of my mind and so fearful as to “Why” this was happening to me-why Me? The long and the short of my situation was this – I had lost close to a third of my blood in my body and I was so weak I could NOT hold a teacup to my lips let alone drive my car by holding onto the steering wheel. My hands shook so bad and I could barely stand up throughout the day. I was in between health plan coverage and could not pay for the tests and hospital I had already gone through. I would not nor could not pay for what was needed and instead waited another six months telling people I needed to get my strength back AND save my money so I could pay for the necessary tests. I was a single Mom attempting to make ends meet (my daughter’s father had
passed at the age of 31), my daughters were 6&7 and I had more stress than money! But I soon learned that my Body was trying its best to rid it of the cancer in my Cervix and I did not listen. I had the tests and next I had surgery, in rapid succession luckily
discovering that my Cervical Cancer was in the early stages and the surgery removed it!
If I had learned anything – it was LISTEN TO MY BODY. DO NOT HESITATE to see a doctor…YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT. EARLY SCREENING CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE. I went on to survive 2 more unrelated Cancers and one that was late stage. Today I stand proudly with my Intention to Bring Hope to others! I am a Thriver!

About the American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society is a leading cancer-fighting organization with a vision to end cancer as we know it, for everyone. We are improving the lives of people with cancer and their families as the only organization combating cancer through advocacy, research, and patient support, to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer.

Read more about us.

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