Waynesha Symonette, 30, knows all too well the importance of her three-year-old daughter receiving the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination as soon as she is able to. Symonette was 27 years old at the time with a months-old daughter, Anteya Goodman, when she learned devastating news that she had stage three cervical cancer. Her only thought was that she had to live for the toddler, who is her pride and joy.
Symonette fought back.
"I was fighting for my daughter," she said.
Symonette did a month of radiation treatment and 12 rounds of chemotherapy and is today cancer-free.
After dealing with cervical cancer and its challenges, Symonette relocated to Eleuthera where her daughter's father, Reuben Goodman, resides, so that their daughter could be close to him, as well as for her peace of mind.
"I always loved Eleuthera. It's very peaceful and after going through the treatment, I thought a fresh start was what I needed now that I'm cancer-free," said Symonette.
The lesson she has learned and willingly shares today is to ensure children of the appropriate age receive the vaccination.
"My mother [Faustine Symonette] didn't know about it ... and I found out about it a little too late," she said. "Make sure you have your vaccine; take care of your body."
Symonette said she has every intention of her daughter receiving the vaccination when she is age-appropriate.
According to the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention, children ages 11-12 years should get two doses of the HPV vaccine, administered six to 12 months apart.
HPV vaccines can be given starting at age nine.
Children who start the HPV vaccine series on or after their 15th birthday need three doses, administered over six months.
And everyone through age 26 should get the HPV vaccine if they were not fully vaccinated already. The HPV vaccination is not recommended for people older than age 26.
According to the CDC, some adults age 27 through 45 who were not already vaccinated may choose to get the HPV vaccine after speaking with their doctor about their risk for new HPV infections and possible benefits of vaccination for them. The CDC says HPV vaccination of adults provides less benefit, because more people in the age range were exposed to HPV already.
Symonette was diagnosed with stage three cervical cancer in February 2020. She was in hospital while doctors ran tests to determine why she was constantly bleeding. The news she said was the "most heartbreaking thing" she could learn, and wasn't something she expected to hear as she was young and had recently given birth to her daughter.
Cancer is a disease in which cells in the body grow out of control. It is always named for the part of the body where it starts, even if it spreads to other body parts later.
Cervical cancer occurs most often in people over age 30. Long-lasting infection with certain types of HPV is the main cause of cervical cancer.
HPV is a common virus that is passed from one person to another during sex. At least half of sexually active people will have HPV at some point in their lives, but few women will get cervical cancer.
Screening tests and the HPV vaccine can help prevent cervical cancer. When cervical cancer is found early, it is highly treatable and associated with long survival and good quality of life.
Symonette's worst symptom, before diagnosis, she said, was losing blood, which left her feeling constantly weak and unable to get up.
During treatment, she said she was constantly nauseous and throwing up while taking radiation. She also lost more weight than she would have liked.
"When treatment was done, I had to go to the United States to do a CT scan. When the doctor read the results, he said he saw nothing on the scan – no tumors ... nothing. My doctor was in shock, actually, but he felt that because I was young that I was going to bounce back."
Her takeaway: "From all of this, I would say to have a relationship with God and take care of your body, you can't be eating bad all the time and expect to be healthy."
To help defray the cost of her medical bills, a GoFundMe account was opened to crowdfund assistance for Symonette, who at the time was battling cancer for the second time. A little over $6,000 was raised via the crowdfunding site. Her then-workplace gave her a $3,000 donation toward her bills.
Symonette has a $15,000-plus bill with the medical facility, which she is still paying down. She said the most important thing for her was the donations she received which allowed her to start treatment and look to pay off the remainder.
Symonette has a new lease on life in Eleuthera and is doing well on her new job having been named Rookie of the Year at Family Guardian Insurance Company.
"I applied to Family Guardian just before the pandemic started, but then everything shut down and that was out the window. I ran into my manager who said the position was still available. I was like OK, I want to move here, there's a job opportunity, so I took it, and now I'm here."
As for her Rookie of the Year award, it's nothing less than she expected.
"When I came in, I knew what I wanted and just went for it. I was pulling for rookie, actually, and I worked towards it. It was a goal of mine," she said.
In March 2019, Symonette learned she was pregnant. She bled her entire pregnancy, which put her into the high-risk category and led to her giving birth to her daughter at 35 weeks via Caesarean section.
After giving birth, she continued to bleed, and sought medical attention, and found herself in and out of the hospital for six months.
After multiple blood transfusions and a biopsy on her cervix, she received the news at only 27 years old that she had cervical cancer.
Hospitalization meant Symonette was away from her infant daughter and missed out on many in-person firsts, due to being in and out of hospital and receiving chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
The cancer-fighting treatment took a toll on Symonette, but after they were completed, she said she received great feedback from her doctors. But it was at her six-month check-up that she again received devastating news - while her cervix was clear of cancer cells, the cells had metastasized into her chest.
She had to undergo more chemotherapy, with a much stronger dosage, for a longer period.
Screening tests and the HPV vaccine can help prevent cervical cancer. When cervical cancer is found early, it is highly treatable and associated with long survival and good quality of life.
All women are at risk for cervical cancer.
Symonette recalls getting an abnormal pap smear in 2016, when she was 21-22 years old, but said that with being young, she brushed it off. It was after that, that she started bleeding abnormally, but the bleeding, she said, stopped after she went on a birth control shot.
The bleeding returned when she learned she was pregnant.
According to the CDC, the most important thing a person can do to help prevent cervical cancer and reduce risk is to have regular screening tests starting at age 21.
Early on, cervical cancer may not cause signs or symptoms. Advanced cervical cancer may cause bleeding or discharge from the vagina that is not normal.
Screening tests that can help prevent cervical cancer or find it early, include the Pap smear and the HPV test.
Cervical cancer is treated in several ways. It depends on the kind of cervical cancer and how far it has spread. Treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.
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