Public Employee Press

Member and CLUW battle cervical cancer

On the day the dread diagnosis arrives in one word — cancer — life takes on new meaning and regaining health becomes the priority.

Tamika Felder, a member of DC 37’s national union affiliate in Washington, D.C., District Council 20, was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2001. Since she fought her way back to good health, she has been putting her energy into giving other women a fighting chance.

The number one risk factor for cervical cancer is the lack of regular screenings. New developments in medicine have increased the odds for women at risk, but in order to benefit from these medical advances, women need to participate in preventive care on their own behalf.

In her effort to get the message out, Felder has been telling her own story. At the time of her diagnosis, before her membership in AFSCME, Felder was one of the millions of Americans without health insurance. In 2005, she created Tamika and Friends (www.tamikaandfriends.org) to raise awareness about the importance of cervical screening.

She started HPV—House Parties of fiVe — social gatherings of friends that combine “girl talk” with discussions of sexual health. The idea for participants to pledge to visit their gynecologists for Pap tests and HPV screening and to become comfortable with information they can pass on to friends and family.
She named the program HPV to highlight awareness that HPV, the human papillomavirus — causes 96 percent of cervical cancer. The common sexually transmitted infection can be treated with surgery and, if necessary, chemotherapy if the disease is caught early. But undetected, it is lethal.

A recently developed vaccine protects girls and women from 9 to 26 against the dread disease, but it is not for everyone, so most women must continue having regular Pap and HPV tests.

Tamika has become a “poster girl” for Cervical Cancer Prevention Works, a new project of the Coalition of Labor Union Women. CCPW is working to empower union women by providing them with information on how to prevent the disease.

What can you do? Join Tamika Felder in the fight against cervical cancer. Get informed and spread the word. Start by getting brochures and mini bulletin board posters at the CCPW Web site, www.cluw.org/cervcancer.html.