By Kate Colligan | Director of Development & Communication
Thank you for all you do to give our patients access to cervical cancer screening, treatment, and education. The patient story below exemplifies what we are working to achieve: ending cervical cancer by screening and treating women in mid-life AND providing education about preventing cervical cancer through HPV vaccination. With these preventative measures in place, we can surely eliminate cervical cancer for generations to come.
I want to introduce you to our Communications Associate in El Salvador, Sofia Avila. This month, she's highlighted the remarkable story of a cervical cancer survivor committed to preventing HPV for her daughter. Sofia frequently visits with patients in clinics throughout the country, and we are grateful for her perspective. Please check out our video of this story ~ Kate
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“Please meet Santos, one of the many patients we help at Basic Health International (BHI). She lives in Toluca, El Salvador, and is a single mom. Santos comes from a low-income family, which limited her access to basic screening to prevent and treat cervical cancer. Over time, she accessed screening through BHl and was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Santos’ personal life was deeply affected. She worried about her children and overcoming this disease, given her financial position. Thanks to Basic Health International, she went ahead with treatments at no cost to her until she was cancer-free. After traveling a difficult path, Santos learned about the infection that causes cervical cancer and precancer: HPV. Armed with information after her own courses of treatment, Santos concern turned to her daughter’s health. By vaccinating her teenage daughter against HPV, Santos had assurance that her child would not face cervical cancer.”
Like Santos, many women in El Salvador go through the same situation due to a lack of information and access to healthcare. Unlike Santos, many mothers do not get to vaccinate their daughters against HPV. Many factors contribute to this hesitancy, but mainly, it is due to the lack of information and the conditions in which they live. Santos is an example of a mother that wants to make the best decision regarding her daughter’s future.
It is our duty to help mothers like Santos inform themselves of the benefits of vaccinating their daughters against HPV. We also need your help to bring this prevention tool to women who day by day seek ways to have better health and seek the best for their daughters.
Please reflect on what the world would be like if we vaccinated our girls against HPV. Think about how many women will stop dying in mid-life from cervical cancer in El Salvador if we really take the time to help them by donating. Help us build them a better future.”
Contributed by: Sofia Avila, Communications Associate, El Salvador
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