My name is Sam.
I’m a two-time cancer survivor and this is my story.
About ten years ago I went for my regular pap smear.
I had beaten thyroid cancer before so I was quite vigilant with screening.
I had a biopsy and it turned out to be a rare but aggressive form of cervical cancer.
My thoughts instantly turned to my children who were only three and six at the time.
My doctor told me that it was highly likely that the human papillomavirus caused my cervical cancer.
I needed a full hysterectomy and my lymph nodes removed.
If there was a HPV vaccine available to me when I was younger, I probably wouldn’t have had to go through all of this.
My daughter got the HPV vaccine at her school.
After everything I went through I didn’t think twice about signing her consent form.
My son is also due for his vaccine soon.
It puts me at ease knowing that this vaccine will help to protect them from going through what I went through.
It’s a simple choice.
Why would I expose my children to a life threatening disease if I didn’t have to?
If its preventable, why not?
The HPV vaccine is safe and effective.
Do the right thing by your kids.
Make sure they have the HPV vaccine.
Samantha survived a rare but aggressive form of cervical cancer that her doctor said was highly likely caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). The HPV vaccine was not available to her when she was younger. It is now available for males and females aged 12 to 13 years through school based immunisation providers. Samantha urges all parents to sign the consent form so their child can be protected against HPV related disease.