Hope for the Flowers: Help X Out Cervical Cancer

For my 30^th birthday, I got myself the gift of protection. Yes, I armed myself with the protection against Cervical Cancer by committing to getting the vaccine that protects women from the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), the virus which causes abnormal growth in the cervix. According to research, half a million worldwide are diagnosed with Cervical Cancer and every two minutes, one of them will die because of it. Every day, 12 Filipina die of cervical cancer. It’s ranked as the second most common cancer afflicting Filipino women. The sad part of this reality is that while cervical cancer is highly preventable, it is difficult to detect in its early stages. Being a staunch believer that prevention is better than cure, plus of course the constant reminders of my OB/GYN that I should get protected, I finally did it. GlaxoSmithKline’s vaccine provides protection against HPV types 16 and 18, the two most common cancer-causing strains. Now, women ages 10 years and older can be vaccinated.

Last July 16, 2009, advocates for cervical cancer unveiled Hope for the Flowers, a photo exhibit featuring stills from the Tour of Hope 2009’s Dare to Be Bold bike tour that aimed to raise funds for the Cervical Cancer Protection Network (CECAP). Images by renowned photographers Jun De Leon, Jed Santos, Ramon Ty and Miguel De Leon will be on display at the Main Atrium of the SM Mall of Asia until the end of the week.