Lillian has been diagnosed with pre-cancerous cells on her cervix and has had them removed. This is her story.

Cancer of the cervix is one of the most preventable of all cancers. It is estimated that about 90 percent of cases of the most common form of cervical cancer are prevented if women have smear tests every three years.

I tipu ake au ki waenganui i ngā hapu ō tōku Māmā
Ko Marotiri te Maunga
Ko Hauini te Awa
Ko Ruataupare, ko Te Ao Tawārirangi ngā Hapū
Ko Ngāti Porou te Iwi

I te taha o tōku Pāpā:
Ko Pukekaroro te Maunga
Ko Tawapata te Awa
Ko Ngati Hikairoa te Hapū
Ko Rongomaiwahine te Iwi

Kei Tokomaru Bay taku haukainga engari e noho ana au ki Whanganui-a-tara īnainei.

I am a proud 36-year-old mother of four sons, aged 11 to 19 years. I thought I was pretty well informed about health services given I have worked within the health arena for the past nine years.

When I got a job as a Maori Health Promoter within BreastScreen Aotearoa and the National Cervical Screening Programme, I felt I needed to have a cervical smear. It had been about nine years since my last smear.  I also believed I couldn’t promote something I felt uncomfortable with myself.

My rationale (excuses) for not having regular smears was: I've finished having children, no one needs to look down there anymore, it costs money, no time, too whakamā (shame) and the best one, it hurts!

So I went to my female doctor and had a smear; it cost me a minimal amount and took only 15 minutes max.

Some two weeks later I received a call from my GP to tell me I had an abnormal smear result and that a referral had been made to a specialist at my local District Health Board. In a follow-up letter I was informed my appointment would be within six weeks.  For those six weeks I thought I had cervical cancer and was going to die.

I did receive information as to what an abnormal result meant  – pre-cancerous cells on my cervix – and possible treatment, but at the time I couldn’t process any information and was too whakamā to seek further information from health professionals.

I attended my specialist appointment within that six week timeframe and a bigger sample was taken to determine the severity of my abnormal result.

Two weeks later I was back in the colposcopy service having Lletz treatment under local anaesthetic. This involved the abnormal cells within my cervix being removed with an electrical wire look. I was tested again within six months and that smear was clear of abnormal cells.  I am now on yearly recalls. (Women who have normal results are screened every three years).

I was sore and tender for a couple of days but my two elder sons nursed and supported me through that time and I was back at work in two days.

The scariest thing for me was the lack of information.  I was fearful I had the dreaded Big C and that my sons would ultimately be without a mother.

Working within the services there is much evidence that Maori women miss smear recalls for various reasons (similar to the reasons I had) and even more seriously miss specialist appointments for the treatment of abnormal cells. This is very serious as the abnormal cells may develop into cancerous cells. I cannot stress enough the importance of:

• attending three-yearly regular screening
• attending specialist appointments for abnormal cell results
• attendance at colposcopy services for the successful treatment of abnormal cells
• having cervical smears at recommended intervals.

We as Maori Wahine need to use screening services when we are well, not just use the health system when we are unwell. A cervical smear is a well women’s check and I would strongly recommend all Maori Wahine who are between the ages of 20 and 69 years who have been sexually active to undertake regular cervical screening.