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Forget “it won’t happen to me” says Facebook inspiration

IT’S Cervical Cancer Prevention Week, and two years since she was diagnosed, Hannah Good is raising awareness for cervical cancer and the importance of having a smear test.
Hannah, 31, from Dinas Powys, decided to publish a Facebook post every day this week talking about different elements of her experience, but she did not expect them to have such an impact.
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Her posts have received hundreds of shares. Mrs Good said: “I was blown away, my plan was to get 10 people to agree to get tested and it’s been shared about 900 times.
“It was never my intention for it to go round the internet but I’ve had people I’ve never met telling me they’ve booked their test and sharing their own experiences.
“It’s been quite intense but also therapeutic at the same time. I thought if I can find a way to draw out people’s emotions, rather than telling people how important it is, it would be more of a push for people to get tested.”    
Mrs Good, who is an assistant manager at Deloitte in Callaghan Square, Cardiff, was diagnosed with cervical cancer at the age of 29.
She went for an initial smear test where they found low grade abnormal cells. Six months later she was called for another test where they found that they had changed to high grade abnormal cells. She then had a colposcopy procedure to investigate further.
Mrs Good said: “A couple of weeks later I went back in, thinking they would just do a simple laser procedure to remove the cells and I’d just have a day of rest and be fine. But they said they’d found cancer cells.
“I was just not expecting it, people never think it’s going to be them, but suddenly it’s you. They said it was early, but they would never have caught it without my smear test.”
An abnormal result is very common particularly in young women but it does not necessarily mean cancer and often the body can destroy these cells on their own.
Mrs Good said: “I think people get really scared when they go for a test, because of the consequences of a doctor finding something.
“If they’ve had an abnormal result previously it’s horrible because now someone’s asking you to come back in to have another test or investigation and suddenly it feels a lot more serious.”
According to Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, Cervical Cancer is the most common cancer among women under 35 but almost two thirds of women surveyed were not aware of their risk.
Mrs Good said: “I get it, you don’t want to get that part of your body out, but the nurses are trained and have done hundreds of smear tests. They don’t judge anybody, they’re just doing their job. The procedure takes five minutes and the nurses do everything they can to make you feel at ease.”
Doctors caught Mrs Good’s cancer early and it was treatable with an operation called a radical trachelectomy and she did not need to have chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
Mrs Good said: “Luckily although, my fertility is reduced I am still able conceive and carry a child, but if I had to have a hysterectomy or chemo or radiotherapy, it would be impossible, so for women who want children it’s so important.”
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Mrs Good wanted to share her experience with her Facebook friends to give a more emotional and relatable aspect to the Cervical Cancer Prevention Week campaign. She said: “When people hear the word cancer, they think the worst. In fact the hardest thing was telling people because when you say that word, people automatically think that it’s terminal, people don’t seem to realise there are so many variations.”
Emotionally, this week has brought it all back for Mrs Good, she said: “I think at the time you want to be strong for everyone else that’s panicking for you.
“I always said to my friends, if I’m crying and upset, feel free to be upset too, but I had people crying at me when I was completely fine, some people don’t know how to handle it.
“I always say to people, mirror my emotions – so if I’m happy, be happy with me, but if I’m having a dark day then feel free to feel down as well. You just want people to be normal around you and a lot of people don’t know how to react around someone that’s been diagnosed.”
According to Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, in the UK, nine women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every day. and two die from this preventable disease every day. 75 per cent of cervical cancers can be prevent by cervical screening.
This year, the theme of the week is “Reduce Your Risk”. Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, said: “Cervical cancer can be prevented. With your help we can ensure every woman knows how they can reduce their risk of the disease and the steps they can take to look after their health.”
The charity have started the campaign #smearforsmear, in which women take photographs wearing smudged lipstick.


These are the ways you can reduce your risk of cervical cancer:

  • Attend cervical screening when invited
  • Know the symptoms of cervical cancer and seek medical advice if experiencing any
  • Have the HPV vaccination if aged 11-18
  • Know where to find support and further information.

NHS information about cervical cancer and its prevention be can be found here. A lot of advice, support and information can also be found on on Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust’s website.

Hannah Good’s #smearforsmear photo. Photo: Hannah Good

Mrs Good said: “You can’t put your head in the sand and hope it will all go away. They will keep sending you reminders, it’s an amazing service and it’s free and it’s literally five minutes out of your day.”
“So take a breath and realise you are doing something for your health. People will happily take supplements and green smoothies but actually if you aren’t looking after the key parts of your body, it doesn’t matter how many green smoothies you drink.”