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Empowered. Amazed. Excited.

8/22/2016

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Cervivor School this week was AWESOME!  I was so excited to be a part of the planning committee, along with fellow Cervivor Ambassadors Heather, Jessica, and Cheryl, for this amazing event in Kentuckiana.  The days (and nights) spent in Louisville with the newest group of Cervivor Graduates were so fulfilling.  We started out on Friday afternoon with an amazing scavenger hunt around Louisville.  I was able to go with a group of new Cervivor Graduates on the adventure and see the sights.  We stopped in some local shops and ended at our dinner location.  The welcome reception was great.  We had a fabulous presentation about a new immunotherapy.  As she described the trials I kept seeing pieces of the immunotherapy trials and seeing things that I was interested in, I could see myself in those stories.  However, the got to the last guideline "you must be cancer free."  That was disappointing but I am glad to have learned more about immunotherapy.

Saturday was a heavy medical day.  Something that is such an important piece of Cervivor School is the education.  At Cervivor School you will gain a bond with other women who have had similar experiences to you but you will really gain information.  Knowledge is power, when you leave Cervivor School you are ready to be a powerful advocate!  We learned about cervical cancer globally as well as in the Midwest.  We learned about support services, palliative care, and we got a lot of information about vaccination and screening.  I think one of the top things I walk away from each Cervivor School with is more information for my "advocacy toolbox."

Unfortunately due to weather we did have to postpone the Cerivor Pap Rally & 5k, no fear a new date is in the works.  I was able to take some Cervivors over to New Albany though and show them a bit about my hometown.  We went just in case anyone missed the note that the Pap Rally had to be postponed.  I can't express how special it was to share my hometown with these women who mean so much to me.

On Sunday we really focused on how to be an effective active advocate and sharing bits of our stories.  These women are all amazing and I can't wait to see what type of advocacy comes out of this Cervivor School!

After Cervivor School wrapped up several ladies had time before they had to fly out so I coordinated a trip over to the walking bridge and they were able to walk from Kentucky to Indiana.  I even got to meet them at the end with one of the new graduates.

I am so incredibly grateful for Tamika and her vision.  I am so grateful that she has developed such a strong, empowering, and effective system.  She might have started out because there was nothing else when she was diagnosed but she has taken Cervivor so far and the sky is the limit.

On my two hour drive home last night I wondered how I was going to shut my brain off.  I wondered how I was ever going to sleep without blogging about this.  I wondered, then I realized.  I was exhausted and I was going to sleep regardless.  Today I woke up refreshed and letting my mind slow a bit.

I didn't think I could be on more of a high from Cervivor School until I got onto social media tonight and saw these amazing ladies already using the knowledge they gained positively.  It is the day after #CervivorSchool ended and there is so much active advocacy happening already from these amazing women.  I couldn't be more happy with the results of Cervivor School.

How can you use your knowledge?  Have you experienced cervical cancer or HPV? Have  you shared your story yet?


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    Author

    Erica is a 32 year old cervical cancer advocate who is out living cancer for the third time. When she isn’t advocating for cervical cancer and HPV awareness as a Cervivor Ambassador, she previously oversaw the STEM program at the school where she was an educator; she now helps coordinate the robotics program. Erica enjoys spending time with her husband and son in their Indianapolis neighborhood, as well as pursuing new and adventurous hobbies. She can most recently be found fawning over kayaks and daydreaming of returning to whitewater kayaking with First Descents, an organization for young adults impacted by cancer. 

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