Cervivor School – Iganaural Class 2014

Cervivor Advocates

On January 25, 2014, I was honored to have been handpicked to be one of the first survivors to attend Cervivor School being held at The Eventi Hotel in New York City.

 Cervivor Shcool  was a full day of  learning. Survivors came together in person. and…

• We gained a better understanding of HPV and how it created cancer inside of you.
• We learned about impactful storytelling so we can share our journey in a meaningful way with others.
• We learned to connect with each other and become a community of sister survivors, committed to making a difference in this world.

Listening to Dr. Philip Castle

I got to the location bright and early.  The hotel was a beautiful place. Right away I saw familiar faces and some not too familiar, nevertheless we all knew we were there for the same mission.  

We listened to many wonderful and brilliant speakers.  The one that most impacted me was Dr. Phillip Castle.  Dr. Castle is the executive director of Global Coalition against Cervical Cancer in Arlington, VA. among many other accomplishments.  The wisdom and the credentials of this doctor are just amazing– honestly, I could have listened to him all day.

Besides Dr. Castle, we listened to Dr. Mark Einstein from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, Eileen Lind & Christine Baze on Community Outreach and Education, Ronice Bruce on Fundraising Development, Amanda Miller Littlejohn on Power of Social Media, Cecily Fernandez and Christina Corso on Swarming the Airwaves with our message and David Romanelli on how to fuse ancient wellness practices with modern passions like exotic chocolate, jazz, fine wine and gourmet food.

I even got the honor to speak along  with Michele Prigo, Sara Lyle and Danielle Sepulveres on how we use our voices to be advocates by sharing our stories in the hope to make a difference.

Before we knew it the end of the day was here.  The day was empowering, informational, educational, motivational, and inspirational. Just absolutely awesome!!! We shared our views, our stories, our concerns, our goals, our obstacles, our strengths. 

I met amazing survivors with a passion that was totally contagious.  These survivors are the epitome of the word “WARRIOR.” I can say I am very proud to call each one of them my “survivor sister.”

So the day was not over until each one of us got a beautiful certificate upon completion of Cervivor School.  We were now officially leaders and advocates prepared to go out in the world and help eradicate cervical cancer. We were now part of the Cervivor Revolution.

And then we celebrated!  We celebrated  being the first graduating class of Cervivors!

Receiving my certificate from Tamika Felder

Very proud moment for Me

The Inaugural Graduating Class of Cervivor School

I want to thank Tamika Felder, Founder of Cervivor, for giving me the honor to be part of this amazing project, and for being one among many to lead this great revolution.

Editor’s Note– If you want more information on Cervivor  please sign up for updates at www.cervivor.org   You can be one of the first to see great interviews, hear about special happenings, and learn about how to apply for Cervivor School (yes, there is an application!  But don’t worry–  It is short and sweet.)