Help wipe out cervical cancer in Alabama—how one Birmingham woman’s story can motivate you

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Jennifer Simpson is like a lot of busy Alabama women: She thought that if there was something wrong with her health, she’d know.

That’s why, when she went in for a routine exam in 2018, she wasn’t concerned that her last Pap test had been in 1993. She thought nothing of that gap—until she got a call to come back in for a biopsy due to irregular results. She had cervical cancer.

Spoiler alert: Today Jennifer is fine and thriving. But like 42.3% of women patients at UAB who are called back in for irregular results on a routine cervical cancer screening, she delayed seeking further treatment.

While those irregular results are often benign, it’s essential to take charge of your health and seek follow-up treatment.

Learn how your story can be different. With vaccination, regular screenings and follow-up care, we can all help wipe out cervical cancer in Alabama.

Learn to prioritize your own health care needs: Follow-up is key

When Jennifer found her way back to the doctor, it was January 2019, and the 48-year-old Birmingham resident needed a total hysterectomy, as the abnormality had spread. Fortunately, she received word that they got clear margins, and she was quickly on a path to recovery.

Today, Jennifer has a career at UAB as a patient service coordinator for oncology patients, where she makes it a personal mission to help encourage others facing similar diagnoses to seek treatment and work toward wellness.

As part of this work, Jennifer crossed paths with Dr. Isabel Scarinci, who helps lead OPERATION WIPE OUT, a program to help eliminate cervical cancer in Alabama via messages of prevention, HPV vaccination, screening, follow-up and treatment.

“The fact that people die from cervical cancer is heartbreaking, because the HPV vaccine makes it so preventable.”

_{Jennifer Simpson, cervical cancer survivor and patient service coordinator at UAB oncology}

How you can help Wipe Out cervical cancer: It’s preventable

Jennifer is right: Cervical cancer is preventable, and there’s a way you can help reduce your own risk and help spread the word to others. We’ve previously written about the important work taking place in Alabama as part of OPERATION WIPE OUT.

The main cause of cervical cancer is infection by a virus: Human Papillomavirus or HPV. Most sexually active people have been exposed to this virus at some point in their lives. However, if the infection persists over time, it can lead to pre-cancer and cervical cancer.

Fortunately, it’s simple, easy and often very affordable to prevent cervical cancer. Here’s what to know:

• Get the vaccine + start early: The vaccine to prevent HPV infection also prevents cervical cancer and other HPV-associated cancers in men and women. It’s most effective before people are exposed to the virus, and is recommended for boys and girls starting as early as age 9 to adults 26 years of age. 
• Get regular screenings: Women between the ages of 21 and 65 should get screened every three years. Here’s a resource to help connect you to free or low-cost care for those who qualify.
• Follow up: Don’t be scared of a call-back. A lot of results need a further look from your healthcare provider, and most—like Jennifer’s—are treatable.

“Do not be afraid. It is not the end of the world. Let’s see what we’ve got to do to get it taken care of, because you should not die for this.

And so many people get that abnormal Pap test, and they don’t come back here because they’re scared. But with cancer, you don’t want to wait until it’s bad. You want to jump right then and go, ‘Okay, I’m important enough to myself and to the people that love me that I’m going to take care of this.'”

_{Jennifer Simpson, cervical cancer survivor and patient service coordinator at UAB oncology}

There’s important work being done right here in Birmingham, and prevention starts with you and those you love.

“We have made considerable progress in treating women with cervical cancer over the last 20 years. Survivorship is no longer an aspirational goal but a reality for many.

Continued surveillance and follow-up is a critical, essential aspect of cervical cancer care.”

_{Dr. Warner Huh, Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UAB}

Together with OPERATION WIPE OUT, we can educate, vaccinate, treat—and, most important—eliminate cervical cancer among Alabamians. Learn more.

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