Anal Cancer Survivor Marcia Cross Launches Charity to Finally Put an End to the Stigma Associated With HPV-Related Diseases

“When I got cancer I thought ‘oh boy I got to get out there and speak about it’ because most people don’t want to talk about it and I really need to get out there and speak about it to help people,” Lillian Kreppel, co-founder of HPV Alliance, tells SurvivorNet. “So I created this organization to get the awareness out and to save lives.”

This week, Cross announced the launch of HPV Alliance which she founded alongside fellow anal cancer survivor and friend Lillian Kreppel. After they were diagnosed with cancers linked to the human papillomavirus (HPV)  a common virus transmitted by skin to skin contact they realized stigma around HPV and HPV-linked cancers was still extremely prevalent in the world. Through their non-profit, they not only want to eliminate that stigma, but also want to spread knowledge in an effort to save lives.

Related: 'Is This Going to Be My Last Christmas?' Actor Marcia Cross Says She's Lucky to Have Beaten Cancer, but the Feeling of Safety Is Gone

One of the main goals of the foundation is to put HPV-related cancers on the radar, which can end up saving lives. As opposed to other cancers such as breast, lung, or prostate  HPV-linked cancers are not nearly discussed as much. Through their organization, they plan to educate men and women about prevention, signs of diseases (which can often be misdiagnosed), and abnormal pap smears’ connection to HPV. According to Kreppel, they’re marching forward with new initiatives and webinars where they will work with doctors, nurses, universities, hospitals, and celebrities in order to share their inspiring and important mission.

 

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Thank you to Lillian Kreppel who has put this foundation together. She is a tour de force and hopefully together we can make some great changes and save lots of lives. I love you Lil!! #hpv #hpvalliance #jamieotis #educaretoeradicate

A post shared by MARCIA CROSS (@reallymarcia) on Oct 21, 2020 at 4:13pm PDT

Cross echoes Kreppel’s sentiments in her own statement. “The HPV Alliance will do two important things,” Cross says. “First it will work to educate the public about this very misunderstood and ubiquitous virus. Secondly, it will work to facilitate changes in the medical profession to more effectively deal with the detection, prevention and treatment of HPV.”

Awareness for HPV-Linked Cancer

SurvivorNet previously spoke to both Cross and Kreppel in two separate interviews, where they’ve recounted their experiences battling anal cancer. Kreppel was diagnosed in September 2017 and Cross didn’t publicly share that she had battled the disease until 2019. Despite the stigma, both women have become passionate advocates for Gardasil, the HPV vaccine, in an effort to push for prevention.

Related: Should Children as Young as 9-Years-Old Get The HPV Vaccine?

“Through HPV, I got this anal cancer,” Kreppel previously told SurvivorNet. “And there’s a lot of ignorance and misconceptions about it. People need to know that HPV can cause these cancers and they need to know about it. They need to know for their children, for their grandchildren, for their nieces and nephews, about the vaccine. We need to do a big education and awareness push.”

Anal cancer survivor Lillian Kreppel encourages everyone to consider the HPV vaccine

For Cross, it was difficult to disclose her diagnosis due to her public image, but she didn’t want to feed into the stigma and stay silent. Plus, HPV-linked cancers, such as anal cancer, are rarely talked out in comparison to other diseases like breast or lung cancer. This is why Cross decided to step up and speak out.

"If I had had breast cancer, you would never have heard from me," Cross said at the People v. Cancer conference, hosted by The Atlantic LIVE in collaboration with SurvivorNet. "I would have moved on with life because there are plenty of people talking about it."

Related: Majority of Throat Cancer Diagnoses Are Caused by HPV Here's What You Need to Know

Cross’ connection to HPV-related cancers goes beyond her. Ten years ago, her husband was diagnosed with throat cancer, and the couple suspects her cancer could have been linked to his cancer. This could be possible, especially since there is a strong connection between throat cancer and the infection.

Marcia Cross talks to SurvivorNet about how she and her husband got through cancer together

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