When we left off, we were heading for bed after the welcome dinner and some time spent getting to know each other in the bar of our hotel, the Galt House. We were looking at a busy Saturday, with Cervivor School in session beginning at 8:00 am, with speakers talking about various medical aspects of HPV and cervical cancer; a break and time for dinner starting at 3:00 pm; and the Pap Rally and Run from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
We woke
up Saturday to rain. Not just a little sprinkle either, and it was expected to
go all day and into the night. Unfortunately, the Pap Rally and Run was
cancelled. But we still had two full days of Cervivor School to go, so of
course we soldiered on.
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| Ladies I knew before |
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| Ladies I knew before |
We met up outside the conference room we would be using for the next two day in the lower level of the Muhammad Ali Center. Some of the ladies I was meeting for the very first time, but I already knew quite a few (through Facebook, if nothing else), a first for me out of the three Cervivor Schools I have attended. Out of the twenty-one women either attending as students or helping out "behind the scenes," I knew 12 in some capacity prior to Cervivor School Louisville.
Saturday
was dedicated to medical speakers. First up was Dr. Robert Hilgers, who spoke
about the global impact of HPV and cervical cancer, due to the lack of testing
and care in developing countries. Next was Dr. Elisia Cohen, who talked about
how testing and care for HPV and cervical cancer can happen here in the United
States as well as underdeveloped countries abroad. Dr. Cohen focuses on
advocating locally in Kentucky, so that there can be some relief for these
women's suffering. Next was Dr. Hee Yun Lee, who is developing an app,
currently called mScreening, that will facilitate early screening, as there are
many women who are not being screened proactively. This is due to barriers such
as inadequate knowledge about HPV and cervical cancer, and their symptoms;
cultural-based stigma and sense of shame; and language barriers. Dr. Lee and
her team are currently looking towards a larger, more diverse testing pool in
order to move forward with the app's development. Next to speak was Dr. Karen Kayserd, who spoke about how many lives a cancer diagnosis, in so many ways. Then we had a panel of speakers: Joanna Couch (of Norton Cancer Research Center); Leah Vanderwerp (of Gilda's Club House); and Nicole Wiseman (of Friends for Life). These ladies spoke about the support, services and resources that their various organizations provide. Next was Dr. Laura Bishop Melton, who talked about palliative care. Palliative care is often misunderstood as end of life care, but it really treats the whole patient, with things like symptom control and improving quality of life.
After lunch, Dr. Stan Bloch talked about vaccination 101. The HPV vaccine has been proven to prevent cervical and anal cancers in females, and there is research being done to detrmine its efficacy in vulvar, anal, vaginal, and oral cancers. The HPV vaccine is proven to prevent HPV in anal cancer in males, and they are working to determine if it will prevent oral and penile cancers as well. It is recommended that girls and boys have all 3 shot of Gardasil by age 13; mainly because most children are not sexually active by that age.
There is a lot of controversy around the HPV vaccine. Some common myths are:
- It causes blood clots
- It cause auto immune issues
- It does not cause congenital defects
- It does not cause fertility issues
- HPV can cause cancer
The most common side effects from the HPV vaccine are the same as any other: soreness at injection site; fainting, caused by the vasovagal response.
About midway through the day, with the rain going on and off, sometimes accompanied by thunder and lightening, Tamika made the decision to call off the Pap Rally and Run. It was definitely a disappointment, but it made the most sense. The silver lining, was I got to spend some time with Wylee, Erica's son. He is th sweetest, cutest kid! Probably because he's got such awesome parents.After we had wrapped up for the day, Tamika, Erica and Helaine headed across the bridge to New Albany, IN (where the Pap Rally was to have been held) just in case anyone didn't get the message about the cancellation, and showed up. The other ladies made plans and headed out for dinner and adventures, but I stayed behind to wait for Tamika, Erica, Helaine, and Z, Tamika's stepdaughter (and one of the coolest teens I know!), to get back from New Albany. I hadn't been sleeping very well, so I took advantage of the down time to rest, and freshen up - I was a bit wilted from the rain.
I finally met those crazy ladies between 8:30 and 9:00 pm, and we headed out to track down a good restaurant. Since none of us knew what Louisville had to offer (and it was a monsoon), we decided to go back over the bridge to New Albany, because Erica knew the area. But right before we hit the bridge, we changed our minds AGAIN, and decided to go to the restaurant on the top floor of our hotel, RIVUE, which has sections that spin (à la the Space Needle in Seattle), and view of downtown Louisville to die for. We were very giddy, but at least managed to keep from getting kicked out!
Dinner and drinks were amazing. I had a Kentucky Lemon Drop (Woodford Reserve, lemon juice, demerara simple syrup, ginger syrup, lemon bitters).
