End Cervical Cancer Worldwide

Thank you for continuing to support BHI’s impactful work during this difficult time. I wanted to take this opportunity to share Rosa’s cervical cancer story with you. Your donations and support we can end this disease. 

Rosa of San Pedro Perulapan, El Salvador, is a mother of four. Five years ago, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. As a single mother with no help, this news was devastating and life-altering, until she understood that there were treatments available to her (at no charge) and she would be taken care of every step of the way through the work of Basic Health International.

Rosa required different treatments over three years. Finally, she was scheduled for a hysterectomy since her cancer persisted. Both the treatments and surgery required significant planning time for Rosa, both personally caring for her children and physically to heal from each treatment and the final surgery. Had it not been for the services and support provided by BHI, Rosa would not have been able to maintain her household and attend to her health at the same time.

BHI is working to change that story for women across the globe. Basic Health International believes that women’s health care is a human right. Rosa characterizes exactly what we often see— a woman in mid-life with a family who is confronted by a cancer diagnosis in the prime of her life. We work tirelessly to provide access to screening and treatment for pre-cancer so that women like Rosa will not develop cervical cancer and be free to live a long and fulfilling life.

Rosa and her family generously allowed us to understand and repeat her story so that more women would learn about cervical cancer, and that the larger world would know that sometimes the struggles seem small, such as having bus fare or childcare for your children, when a treatment site is not within walking distance and, in some cases, can be up to 2-3 days’ travel.

Links:

• https://www.basichealth.org/