79 million Americans mostly in their late teens and early twenties are already infected with HPV(Human Papilloma Virus) which causes Cervical Cancer in women as well as throat and anal cancers in both men and women. And penile cancer in men. The American Cancer Society estimated about 13,240 new cases of invasive cervical cancer for 2018. And that about 4,170 women will die from it. Thank God I was not one of them. I am a 9 year Cervical Cancer survivor who was paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair for 6 of those years. Cervical Cancer is a preventable disease. The CDC reports that only 65% of girls have received the recommended HPV vaccination doses. And only 50% of boys have received it. Increased awareness will help encourage political support and funding to scale up screening and use of the HPV vaccination for both girls and boys age 11and 12. Girls 13-26 and boys 13-21 should get the vaccine if they have not received it already. Screening with a Pap test should be every 3 years for ages 21-29. Ages 30-65 choose 1 of 2 options. Doctors and patients decide together which screening approach is preferred between the Pap test every 3years or the Pap test plus HOV test every 5 years. The HPV test can find the Human Papilloma Virus by testing cells collected at the same time as a Pap test. 

When buidings and other structures across the country are lit teal during the month of January every year, the life saving conversation can be started on a much larger scale to drive the reaching of the goal to eliminate cervical cancer. This initiative can also foster dialogue about the fact that death rates from cervical cancer are higher in marginalized African American, Latina, and Hispanic communities where culturally specific awareness and prevention efforts are limited at best.