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When I was first diagnosed with cervical cancer in March 2012, I got treated near my home in southern Louisiana. It wasn¡¯t because I didn¡¯t want to go to MD Anderson ¡ª I actually did. I even asked my gynecologist why she wasn¡¯t sending me there. She said that because what I had wasn¡¯t rare or weird, she felt confident we could handle it locally.

My kids were still really little back then ¡ª just 4 and 1. So, even though MD Anderson is just four hours away, sticking closer to home sounded great to me.

But when I had a second cervical cancer recurrence in 2016 ¡ª after chemotherapy, radiation, brachytherapy and a hysterectomy ¡ª I knew I wanted to be somewhere that focused exclusively on cancer. That¡¯s why I finally went to MD Anderson.

MD Anderson¡¯s cervical cancer expertise gave me confidence

My local gynecologic oncologist was recommending a fairly radical procedure called a total pelvic exenteration, which involves removing the vagina, rectum, anus and bladder. But he only did one or two of those procedures a year. I needed someone with more experience.

At MD Anderson, I met with He confirmed my diagnosis and made the same recommendation. That disappointed me a little bit at first. I¡¯d been hoping for a less dramatic option. But then, Dr. Ramirez told me he did five or six total pelvic exenterations a year. That may not sound like a lot, but it¡¯s three times as many ¡ª and way more ¡ª than my local doctor did. That gave me a lot more confidence.

Dr. Ramirez¡¯s expertise also brought me comfort. I didn¡¯t understand why I needed such an extreme procedure at first. The cervical cancer was so small this time, it didn¡¯t even show up on any scans. The only reason we knew it was there was because every time I had another Pap test, the results came back positive.

Dr. Ramirez explained that the only way to make sure the cancer didn¡¯t return yet again was by removing everything: a total pelvic exenteration. I didn¡¯t like it, but I did understand it. And I wanted to live, so I decided to do it.

My life today, after a total pelvic exenteration

Dr. Ramirez performed my total pelvic exenteration at MD Anderson on March 23, 2016. The healing process took a long time. But I walked every day and continued to stay as physically active as I could.

I¡¯m doing really great now, though I still have to do stretching exercises regularly, to keep my scar tissue from tightening up and hardening. But I¡¯m back at work full-time as a certified public accountant, and I go to the gym four or five times a week. I even do one of the boot camp classes there, though I¡¯ve had to modify a lot of the exercises.

I still have days occasionally when I mope around and feel sorry for myself. Usually those are the days when the seal on one of my bags isn¡¯t perfect, and I show up at the office with a damp shirt and pants. But I¡¯m still here four and half years later, I¡¯m still able to work, and I¡¯m still spending time with my kids and my husband. So, I try to remember that things like that are just small setbacks and not a big deal.

Life keeps getting better, even after a total pelvic exenteration

One really great thing I¡¯ve discovered is that my recovery process is still ongoing. I used to have to carry a pillow around with me all the time, because sitting for long periods wasn¡¯t comfortable. Then, about a year and a half ago, I had outpatient surgery to deal with some of my scar tissue, and I could finally give it up. It felt so great to hit another level of healing!

I still face challenges, and I do have setbacks every once in a while. But in most respects, my life has not really changed much at all. So, I feel very blessed.

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