‘CERvivor’: Iowa mom advocates for HPV vaccination after cervical cancer diagnosis
By Alyx Sacks
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LEON, Iowa (KCCI) — Athena Porter, a mother of two from Iowa, shares her personal battle with cervical cancer caused by HPV, Human papillomavirus, to emphasize the importance of vaccination in preventing the disease.
“In my early 20s, I just tried to be proactive,” Porter said, referring to her decision to undergo her first Pap smear. The results revealed she was HPV-positive, a diagnosis that doctors explained could potentially lead to cancer if her body did not clear the virus.
“They told me that it came back HPV-positive, and they did a good job at trying to explain it to me that while it should be something I shouldn’t worry about, that worst case scenario, if your body didn’t get rid of it itself as a virus, it could turn to cancer. And trying not to scare me. But you hear the word cancer and a million bad things go through your head,” Porter said.
Dr. Willis Hong, an OB-GYN for UnityPoint Health, explained that HPV is a sexually transmitted infection and noted, “I think there’s a lot of misunderstandings about HPV and the screening process of it.” He added that males are often carriers of the virus without symptoms, which can be transmitted to female partners.
“We don’t actually screen males. So commonly many males are affected and they don’t know, and they don’t have any symptoms and they’re actually just carriers,” Hong said.
According to the CDC, HPV infections are very common, with nearly everyone contracting the virus at some point in their lives.
“A lot of times we don’t know that you have it because you’re asymptomatic,” Hong said.
More than 90% of cervical cancer cases are caused by HPV, which Porter tried to avoid after her positive screening. She and her doctors monitored the virus closely and attempted procedures to eradicate it, initially believing they had succeeded.
“I finally did get all clear, which was really exciting,” Porter said.
However, after the birth of her daughters, Porter received the devastating news that the virus had not completely cleared and had remained dormant for years.
“I’m like, so you’re saying I have cancer, just to wrap my mind around it. And she said yes with so much hesitation,” Porter said. She described the emotional impact, saying, “I cried my eyes out. That first day was pretty dark. As optimistic as I am, you have thoughts that run through your head like, ‘What’s my husband going to do? What are my two daughters going to do? What if I’m not here?'”
Fortunately, the cancer was caught early, and Porter did not require chemotherapy or radiation. However, she underwent a radical hysterectomy, which involved the removal of her uterus, cervix, part of the vagina, fallopian tubes, lymph nodes, and surrounding tissues.
“While my husband and I felt complete in our family, it was definitely hard to wrestle through having that option taken away from me,” Porter said.
Today, Porter considers herself a “CERvivor” and feels motivated to share her story and advocate for HPV vaccination.
“Mine was caught so early, so I’m still here,” Porter said. “That gives me some more motivation that I am still here. And so I have to tell my story. I have to advocate,” she said.
She acknowledges vaccine hesitancy, but believes the benefits outweigh the risks.
“You could say that a risk of not taking it is having your uterus removed and not having the ability to have any more children,” Porter said.
Dr. Hong emphasized the potential of a world free of cervical cancer: “This is one of those cancers that we can actually defeat and cure.”
Porter is focused on protecting her daughters, friends, and their children from experiencing what she went through.
“To be here today and I look around at the life that I have and the blessings that I’ve been given, I mean, I thank God first and then I just (sit) in a sense of gratitude,” she said.
Despite the availability of the HPV vaccine, less than half of children aged 13 to 15 in Iowa have completed the vaccine series, with slightly higher rates in Polk County. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services aims to increase the HPV vaccination rate to 80% by 2030.
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