Robelle recalls her mother, Bellina Del Rosario, who passed away from cervical cancer almost 20 years ago, a few days after her 47th birthday. When she lost her mother, Robelle was a 20-year-old carefree college student – she had never heard of cervical cancer.

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Her mother’s story is all too familiar.

“As a mom you are so busy taking care of everyone else around you that you forget to take care of yourself. Same with my mom. She was a full-time, working mom, and a single mom to three children on top of it. She never got to take care of herself.”

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Bellina was not alone in these challenges. Recent national data shows that 63% of women, including 75% who have children, struggle to prioritize their own health. Now a mother to a 3-year-old daughter herself, Robelle understands how women – especially mothers – tend to put themselves at the bottom of their to-do list. 

Robelle’s mother immigrated to the United States from the Philippines when she was in her early twenties. Not only did she struggle with access to healthcare due to her non-citizen status, but she was accustomed to a different cultural norm in the Philippines, where healthcare was less accessible and regular preventive screenings were unheard of at the time. In the United States, Bellina continued to feel as though this preventive healthcare was not readily available to her while struggling to find time to prioritize herself. Robelle also tells me that women’s healthcare was almost never discussed in her house growing up, as these topics were culturally taboo in generations past.

After giving birth to her youngest child, Bellina stopped going to the doctor for herself (yet she was diligent with taking her children to all their appointments). As the years went on, she started experiencing vaginal bleeding. She initially dismissed this concern, assuming it was menopause. But as the bleeding worsened, Bellina finally sought a doctor’s appointment. 

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Robelle’s mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cervical cancer at age 46.

Initially, Robelle tells me she did not understand the seriousness of her mother’s situation because her family lacked awareness around cervical cancer at the time.

“If I would have known a little bit more, I could have asked the questions. I would have asked my mom and even pushed her, pushed us together as women, to get screened.”

Unfortunately, Bellina’s condition deteriorated quickly as the cancer spread. While Robelle tried to stay optimistic, she witnessed the toll that the chemotherapy and radiation treatments were taking on her mother. Robelle tells me, “It happened very quickly. She passed away within a year of being diagnosed. This was back in 2006. I had never even heard of cervical cancer, nor did I know anything about it.”

As she coped with her mother’s passing, Robelle stepped in as her younger sister’s caretaker and built her awareness around women’s health. Coincidentally, Bellina passed the same year that the Gardasil shot – a vaccine that protects against high-risk HPV types that cause cervical cancer – was released. Without hesitation, Robelle took herself and her sister to get this shot. “I did not know enough about the vaccine, but I knew enough from the experience that we had with my mom that I was trying to do anything preventive. At 20 years old I was trying to be a mother to a 10-year-old.” 

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Now, Robelle is very informed about preventive care surrounding cervical cancer and other women’s health needs – a concern she has translated to her family in the Philippines. In fact, her mother’s passing prompted Robelle’s aunts in the Philippines to get screened. All three of her aunts were found to have cancer – but, because they were screened and diagnosed early, their treatments were successful.

She tells me that she holds onto her mother’s experience but tries to do things differently now that she is a parent.

“It’s like when the masks fall down in the airplane. You should put the mask on yourself first and then your kid. As a mom you're always coming up with so many excuses as to why you're not taking care of yourself.”

Today, Robelle is particular about attending her annual appointments, women’s wellness visits, and preventive cancer screenings. She stays aware of her body and health needs, advocating for herself to get the care and attention she wants from her providers. Robelle tells me that she often finds herself “trying to break down walls of doctors,” while trying to get providers to take her seriously. In addition to her mother’s struggle, Robelle has also undergone cervical cryosurgery herself after an abnormal Pap smear. Based on her medical history, she insists – despite pushback – on regular preventive care and yearly cervical cancer screenings.

Robelle highlights that the Teal Wand and telehealth platform could fill critical gaps in women’s healthcare. She describes her continued discomfort with the speculum exam. “I always dread it and I always think to myself, ‘you've given birth, you'll be fine.’ It’s quick but it’s not comfortable. And they have that thing (speculum) in you. It kind of sucks.” Beyond the clinical encounter, Robelle notes that scheduling her appointments is painstaking. While she has a good relationship with her ObGyn, it can be frustrating when her appointments are canceled or rescheduled due to her provider’s busy schedule. “Teal would be beneficial because now, I'm rescheduling and canceling a year later. You just lose track of time.” 

Reflecting on how her mother’s story could have been different, Robelle tells me, “I always wonder, if Teal existed back in 2006, would my mom have done it? She wouldn’t have had to make an appointment and sit on hold.” Robelle hopes that people take advantage of the ease and preventive care that Teal’s at-home cervical cancer screening will offer. “Knowing that Teal will be available, women should definitely embrace it. Why not? It’s there for you.”

In Robelle’s words, put your oxygen mask on first.

At Teal, we want to help make sure that happens, starting with your at-home cervical cancer screenings and virtual women’s health providers dedicated to you.

Thank you, Robelle, for generously sharing your experience and your mother’s story. We at Teal Health are incredibly grateful to those who have shared their personal stories about cervical cancer screening with us.