Losing many women in my family to dementia inspired me to donate my brain to science
June is Alzheimer’s and brain awareness month. As told to Nicole Audrey Spector “Why should you donate your brain to science?” It’s a question I’ve been asked often since I decided to donate my brain to science. The answer? Start with love. In my case, it’s my love for the 13 women (on my mother’s…
HIV/AIDS support group finder
HealthyWomen has put together support group options to unite those affected by HIV/AIDS. Support groups can vary in format with in-person groups, virtual groups, social media pages, blogs, mobile apps, and others. Support groups help connect people who are going through similar experiences and can offer HIV/AIDS-related information and advice. HealthyWomen offers these resources for…
Ovarian Cancer 101: Know Your Treatment Options
What happens next? This may be the first thing that comes to mind if you or someone you love is one of the almosts 20,000 women ovarian cancer is diagnosed in the United States every year. Navigating an ovarian cancer diagnosis can feel overwhelming, especially when it comes to treatment options. And while it goes…
HPV vaccination is cancer prevention
Reviewed by Debbie Saslow, Ph.D. + Infographic text Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a virus that can cause cancer in: Cervix (cervical cancer) Vagina (vaginal cancer) Vulva (vulvar cancer) Anus (anal cancer) Penis (cancer of the penis) Head and neck (oropharyngeal cancer) There is good news, though! Given early enough, HPV vaccinations can prevent over 90%…
The HPV vaccine prevents cancer
Debbie Saslow, Ph.D., reviewed this document. + Infographic text Human papillomavirus (HPV) can cause cancer in: The cervix (cervical cancer) The vagina (vaginal cancer) The vulva (vulvar cancer) The anus (anal cancer) The penis (cancer of the penis) The head and neck (oropharyngeal cancer) Despite this there is good news! If given early enough, HPV…
Who is at the highest risk of colorectal cancer?
Jennifer Jones, the first woman of color who became a member of the Radio City Rockettes, has always been the healthy one in her family. By the time she turned 50, she was an avid runner and dancer and had been a vegetarian for more than 25 years. She said she felt great when the…
I grew up thinking I was immune to skin cancer because of my ethnicity. I was wrong.
As told to Nicole Audrey Spector I grew up in a family where the use of sunscreen was not talked about and was used very rarely. In fact, the opposite was true: we bathed in suntan oil and let the sun burn us. The more sun, the better! As a Hispanic woman with brown skin,…
I grew up thinking I was immune to skin cancer based on my ethnicity. I was wrong.
As told to Nicole Audrey Spector I grew up in a household where wearing sunscreen was not talked about and was rarely used. Quite the contrary, actually: we doused ourselves in sun oil and baked in the sun. The more sun, the better! As a Hispanic woman with brown skin, I have enjoyed watching my…
Gender-affirming assistance is important
June is Pride month. When she was 12, Erin Reed knew she was transgender. But the Louisiana native didn’t have access to the medical care she needed to transition, so it would be another 17 years before the medical intervention allowed her to feel at home in her body. “I went through a long period…
I was the first living HIV-infected kidney donor
As told to Erica Rimlinger I live together HIVand I’m perfectly healthy. That statement would have seemed impossible to my childhood self. When I was 8 years old in 1991, I needed corrective eye surgery and routine pre-op blood work revealed I had HIV. It’s not routine to test children for HIV, but I accidentally…