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When I was diagnosed with stage III cervical cancer this past spring, it came as a shock. I hadn¡¯t been feeling well for several months, but I never expected it to be cancer. There¡¯s absolutely no history of that disease in my family.  

Before my diagnosis, I rode about 30 horses a day as a professional trainer. But I¡¯ve been working in this field for more than 20 years. So, I attributed the hip pain I¡¯d been feeling to simply getting older. And at 53, I chalked up the weird bleeding I¡¯d been having to menopause. My periods have always been kind of across the board.  

When I still didn¡¯t feel any better after a bout of the flu this winter, though, I went back to the doctor. Bloodwork showed I was very anemic, so she ordered a CT scan. That¡¯s when my doctor found the 11 cm tumor. 

Why I went to MD Anderson

My local doctor wanted to send me to an oncologist in Lexington. That¡¯s the closest big city to where I live in rural Kentucky. But I felt kind of panicky when she added that I probably only had about five more years to live. That prognosis freaked me out. 

Fortunately, I remembered a friend who had gone to MD Anderson for melanoma treatment about eight years ago. I was really impressed by how MD Anderson operated and the success my friend had there. Then I remembered that this friend is still going strong today ¡ª and his disease was at stage IV by the time of his diagnosis. That¡¯s when I realized: I wasn¡¯t going anywhere else. 

My cervical cancer treatment

At MD Anderson, I met with . She¡¯s a radiation oncologist who specializes in the treatment of gynecologic cancers, including cervical cancer. Dr. Colbert did her own scans and tests to confirm my diagnosis, then made her treatment recommendations.  

I started with five weeks of chemoradiation. Then, I moved on to an immunotherapy drug called pembrolizumab. I¡¯m still taking that drug today and will for about the next two years. Fortunately, I won¡¯t need surgery. I was a little surprised, because I was expecting it. But Dr. Colbert said in my case, it might cause more problems than it solved. 

Getting back in the saddle

I rang the bell to mark the end of my chemoradiation treatments in early June. Those made me feel really nauseated, so I was glad to be done with them.  

But I never lost my hair, and I¡¯m feeling pretty good now. I started accepting clients¡¯ horses again in early July. I¡¯m also back to riding 10 or 12 horses a day. And, I participated in my first barrel racing competition since the cancer diagnosis in June.  

My only regret

Looking back now, my only regret is skipping so many well-woman exams. I knew I should be getting one every year. I just led a busy life and really hated going to the doctor. Now I know that wasn¡¯t a good excuse. 

That¡¯s why I urge all my female friends now not to make the same mistake I did. Don¡¯t wait 15 years to get a Pap test. Maybe if I hadn¡¯t, my OB/GYN would¡¯ve only found cervical dysplasia before it actually turned into cancer. Or, maybe she might¡¯ve found the cervical cancer sooner, when it was smaller and easier to treat. 

I¡¯ll probably never be able to work quite as much as I did before my cancer diagnosis. But that¡¯s OK. Dr. Colbert told me that as long as my body keeps responding to the immunotherapy, I should be able to lead a fairly normal life.  

Dr. Colbert can¡¯t give me any guarantees, of course. And, I know none of this is for sure. But MD Anderson sure gave me a lot more hope than my first oncologist did. That¡¯s why I¡¯m sticking with them. 

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