Prevent and Detect Cervical Cancer in Guatemala

The nurses on staff at WINGS often share patient stories that impacted them. This was one such story from our nurse in the Western Highlands, Tatiana:

On a recent clinic day, a patient had an abnormal result  during her cervical cancer screening, meaning that precancerous lesions had been identified on her cervix. She had always been afraid to get tested, and upon hearing the results she was visibly distressed. Tatiana sat with the patient, taking time to explain the result and address her concerns. That’s when she started to cry, saying, “If only they had treated me like this at the hospital when my delivery became complicated, everything would have been different. I was traumatized because they treated me worse than an animal. I am scared to receive treatment, but I trust in God and I am confident in you.”

After receiving further information from the team, the patient felt more at ease and decided to undergo thermocoagulation treatment to address the lesion. WIth this technique, we are able to provide on-the-spot treatment of abnormal cells so that they do not progress to become cancer. As she prepared to leave, she expressed her desire to refer other patients to our services  and requested our contact information so that she could organize a health campaign in her own community.

This woman is not alone; many of our patients have never received a cervical cancer screening or are scared to do so. We recognize the uncertainty and even fear that can come with any health screening  result, and are proud to be able to offer real-time treatment, as well as rights-based, patient-centered counseling. 

Thank you for your continued support as we work to reach the unreachable with these services. We couldn’t do it without you!