My name is Ana Reyes. I am an educator, a friend, a daughter, a sister, and a single mother to two amazing boys. I am also a cancer survivor and advocate. At the age of 35 I was diagnosed with stage 2 cervical cancer. I underwent chemotherapy, external and internal radiation, only to find that after my treatment I still had residual cancer. I then underwent a radical hysterectomy. I went into menopause at the age of just 35 and my fertility choices were eliminated. My cancer is caused by HPV, and unfortunately I have remained HPV positive for over 17 years. Because of this, from 2017 to the present, I have also developed precancerous lesions and Stage O vaginal cancer, requiring me to undergo chemo 4 more times and endure over 5 surgeries in the last 9 years. I remain HPV positive and will be fighting this battle for the rest of my life.

As part of my advocacy journey, I have shared my story with anyone who will listen. I have discussed the most intimate parts of my body with rooms full of strangers, at Relay for Life events and with US lawmakers. I have become an ACS-CAN lead for my congressional district and lobbied for cancer funding and research at both a state and national level.

I share my story because we have a safe and effective way to prevent and eradicate cervical cancer- the HPV vaccine. If the vaccine had been available when I was a child I WOULD NOT HAVE GOTTEN CANCER. My whole life would have been completely different. And yet, the uptake rates for the HPV vaccine in the US are around just 60%. Sharing my story has allowed me to turn my pain into power and my mess, into my message.