Hey girls!
I know we talk about a lot of fun stuff here at PinkLouLou, however sometimes we gotta change up the scene and talk about something serious!
And that is what we are doing today.
I got an email about a month ago from a sweet girl at UK (woop woop go CATS!) named Taylor asking for my help! Now bless her heart I know she thinks I forgot about her, but I sure did not! Just took me awhile 😉
Anyhoo, Taylor is working on Cervical Cancer Free Kentucky’s “Cause the Movement” initiative, aimed at educating Kentucky women (and really women everywhere!) about cervical cancer, prevention, and treatment.
This is an issue that is very close to my heart, as I have many loved friends who have dealt with this!
A few facts here friends:
1. Kentucky has the 8th highest rate of cervical cancer! EEEK!
2. Today, there is only one anti-cancer vaccine available. This vaccine prevents more than 90 percent of a kind of cancer that has killed hundreds of Kentucky women in the last decade. A kind of cancer that kills 10 women each day in the United States. A kind of cancer that is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide.
3. The primary cause of cervical cancer is the HPV virus, which infects 20 million Americans, according to the National Institutes for Health. NIH estimates that another six million Americans are infected with HPV each year.
4. Now this part is astonishing, 1/5 of Kentucky women 18 and older have not had a Pap test in the last three years and fewer than one in NINE have received the full three-shot HPV vaccine series!!
WHAT?!? That shocks me people, this is preventative!!
We can dramatically reduce the overall incidence of HPV and cervical cancer in our population in 3 steps:
1. Educating ourselves about cervical cancer, prevention, and treatment;
2. Increasing the number of women who get cervical cancer prevention screenings, and who seek follow up treatment and/or testing when screening yield abnormal results; and
3. Encouraging both females ages 9-26, and males ages 11-26, to get the HPV vaccine series, as recommended by the CDC.
So basically Cervical Cancer Free Kentucky program launched the campaign Cervical Cancer Free Kentucky, to make progress on these goals.
I encourage you all, my beloved friends, family (and precious blog friends I have never met!) to visit and like their Facebook page to spread the word! The majority of women who die from cervical cancer either failed to get Pap tests or they got them too infrequently. Every Kentucky girl could be cervical cancer-worry free if she gets vaccinated, has regular Pap tests and gets appropriate follow up care for abnormal results!
Ladies, this is SO SO important! I felt super compelled to just help get the word out there. I got these vaccines years ago in college I suppose, whenever they came out! If I can influence even one girl about ANYTHING, this would be it! Not about what foundation to wear, or how to attain the perfectly styled poof (while these are important!), but how to keep yourself safe, and cancer free!
Thanks for reading girls, and make sure you share with your sisters, friends, co- workers, all the loved women in your life!
xoxo
I did not get the HPV vaccine, and at 27 years old started experiencing abnormal paps due to HPV. I didn't get the vaccine because it was "new" and I was skeptical. After countless paps, two biopsies and 2.5 years, my body is slowly healing itself from this awful infection. Thankfully, mine did not advance to cervical cancer. If I could go back and get that vaccine, I would.
I had an abnormal pap about a year ago and HPV popped up. The really scary thing is that the disease lays dormant in your system; so even though I had been in a monogamous relationship for 3.5 years, it was triggered to life! I had to have a biopsy done and it came back negative for pre-cancer cells. My doctor immediately set me up on the Gaurdasil shots and I just had my second follow up screening last week – if it comes back normal, I'll be cleared.
I encourage EVERYONE to get it; my co-workers AND their children, and my friends. Heck – I think I have even talked to strangers about it!
I too had an abnormal pap, only my 2nd pap ever. I had to have a colposcopy (which is not fun, they spray your cervix with something and any area that turns up white is infected and they biopsy that) and they took some samples. My body cleared it up on its own but it scarred me! It was a terrifying experience. The only reason I have not gotten the shot is because I don't have health insurance and last time I checked its 300 dollars per shot. I'm putting this years tax returns to good use and getting the shot…which everyone should get!! Thank you for writing about this!
I'm a big advocate for women's health. We have enough to worry about with breast cancer, so us ladies need to make sure we go for our yearly "invasive" exam which means a pap smear and if you're not 26 yet definitely get the gardisil shot. I got mine the last year I was eligible and I'm so glad I did. They hurt worse than any other shot I've ever had, but I'd much rather get 3 painful shots then deal with a deadly disease.
Thanks so much for spreading the word!
It's awesome that you're helping spread the word.
As someone who had stage 3 HPV (one step down from cancer) it was scary stuff! This was about 6 years ago so before the Gardisil was available. The really scary fact is not a lot of women even know they have it. It lays dormant for so long and you'd never even know!
Luckily we caught mine in time & was able to clean it up & have been clean ever since, but still…..scary, scary stuff!
Great post!! I was vaccinated when I was 18 and now girls can get it as early as 12 years old! Educate. Vaccinate. Protect!
So glad you did this post. In my job, I try to stress the importance of the obtaining the vaccine and having annual paps, but people think they are invincible. At age 25, I had cervical cancer and had to have a radical hysterectomy. I had never had children. I had always been faithful to have annual paps and had never had an abnormal pap prior to my diagnosis. I had absolutely NO symptoms. I had been married for 3-4 years prior to the diagnosis. The cancer was detected by pap smear as adenocarcinoma. I wish the vaccine had been available when I was younger.
Great post, PLL.
Girls, listen up.
This is a great vaccine for all women to get! I've overheard other say that people who "sleep around" get HPV. Not the case. I know of TWO girls that saved themselves for marriage, have only had sex with their husbands and have still gotten HPV. Anyone can get it! These girls who had only had 1 parter EVER both got HPV.
Get routine paps and the vaccine!!! I feel so strongly abou this!
Thanks! 🙂
I would encourage anyone who is considering getting a vaccination to EDUCATE yourself before injecting yourself!
While I am not saying all vaccines are bad or good, I think it is important to know all the side effects rather than just the ones that are being pushed by the media.
I, myself, got the gardasil shot because I felt pressured from my gyno, and honestly, I wish I had read more about it. Only after I had gotten it did I start following up on the number of deaths that have been related to this vaccination and also the number of young girls that have had symptoms of epilepsy and some major health issues. Even some doctors have stated there hasn't been enough long term studies on the vaccine as of yet.
Now I am not saying that this means that you shouldn't get it… if you think you would rather risk those symptoms than potential HPV then that is the person's choice (esp. if you are considering this for an 11 year old)… but PLEASE know BOTH sides of the risk and then choose which one is greater to you!
Thanks for the PSA, PLL!! I get that some people may not be all for the vaccine but do your own research and then decide. Personally, I think that if it's available and can help then it should be done!
Great post, sissybelle! I received the Guardasil vaccination in my early twenties.
Did you know that breastfeeding reduces your risk of several cancers, including breast and ovarian cancers?