Cervical Cancer - Why Are so Many Black Women Dying of a Preventable Disease?

I came home to find my mother sitting on the couch doubled over in pain, pain bad enough to bring tears to her eyes.

"I've been bleeding for over two weeks now. It won't stop, and now I'm passing clots and big as my fist."

"Mama! You need to go see a doctor."

"I'm not going to no damn doctor! I don't need nobody poking around on me."

My mother was a stubborn black woman. She didn't like doctors and only saw them when she had to. In her mind all doctors where white and all doctors were men. Mama didn't trust either. In fact, the last time she'd seen a doctor was 11 years previous, when she gave birth to my brother. But that day, I had my mother carried out and taken to the hospital against her will.

After jumping through state funded insurance hoops, waiting in long lines, dealing with rude staff and talking to apathetic doctors, my mother was diagnosed with stage 3 cervical cancer. This meant that the cancer had already spread into her pelvic area. Less than a year later, my mother died 2 months before her 40th birthday.

Research has confirmed that cervical cancer is primarily caused by 2 specific strains of the sexually transmitted Human Papillomavirus (HPV). Since HPV is a sexually transmitted virus, the number one risk factor of developing cervical cancer is simply being sexually active. And this risk is increased with multiple sexual partners, smoking, diet, age and HIV status. Fortunately for us, HPV can be detected using the PAP test, making almost all cervical cancers avoidable with proper screening and early treatment. Thanks to the pap test, there has been a 75% decrease in cervical cancer deaths nationwide.

Despite this progress, 4,000 women in the United States will die from this preventable cancer this year. Even more disturbing to me, is the fact that black women will die at rates much higher than their white counterparts. When we ask the question "Why are so many black women dying of this preventable disease?" we will find that there are 3 major factors that significantly contribute to this disparity.

1. Poverty
Healthcare isn't free. In fact healthcare can be very expensive. And for the many black women living in poverty, healthcare is a luxury that we can't afford. Even in situations where we have access to government assistance, other factors make it difficult for us to get the care we need.

2. Lack of Education
What we don't know can kill us. Many women don't know about cervical cancer; let alone how to prevent it.

3. Cultural Attitudes
My mother was not alone in her distrust of doctors. Many women in the black community still have a real fear of the medical community, which has a history of both racism and sexism. This makes us less likely to seek medical care, even in the face of serious or painful symptoms.

Like many of the issues our community faces, this problem is obviously the result of multiple socioeconomic factors. Poverty and the lack of education typically walk hand in hand. And too often, medical professionals seeking answers to health care issues forget to consider our cultural perspectives. But ultimately it is up to us to care for our selves and our sisters. We must take the time to educate ourselves and find the best healthcare resources we possibly can. And when we do, we must make sure that we do what we can to educate our sisters and help them do the same.