Fox Business anchor and breast cancer survivor Gerri Willis is joining the ranks of personalities who have gone public with “embarrassing” details about their health to help spread awareness.
RELATED: SurvivorNet Celebrates the Celebrities Who Helped Remove the Shame and Stigma of Cancer in 2019
“I debated whether to talk about this publicly,” Willis, 60, shared on Foxnews.com about her latest news — she’s having a hysterectomy for pre-cancerous cells in her cervix, which she says were caused by the HPV virus. “After all, HPV is transmitted by sexual contact. It’s embarrassing. Not the topic of polite cocktail chatter. I didn’t want [my Fox family] to think less of me.”
Willis’ Important Message
“But the truth is,” she continues, “HPV is worth talking about simply because it is ignored. Fear of the virus sometimes makes us reluctant to get the facts. That was me. I knew nothing beyond the ads I saw on television. What I have learned since is that HPV can lay dormant for decades. And, then, when you least expect it, unmask itself. That’s what happened to me.”
RELATED VIDEO: Dr. Allen S. Ho of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on the basics you need to now about HPV and cancer risk
“I am upbeat and optimistic because this surgery is preventative. I’m in front of the curve this time in my fight — being treated before an actual cancer has time to develop,” Willis says.
RELATED: Don’t Dwell on “Why Me” Says Journalist Gerri Willis Who Just Had a Cervical Cancer Scare After Beating Stage Three Breast Cancer
She adds that the pre-cancerous cells were found by a routine PAP smear. “Early detection is critical. Please, take my advice, ladies,” she urges. “I know it can be hard to find the time for these simple tests but your life may quite literally depend on it.
HPV — ‘As Common as Rainwater’
HPV is short for human papillomavirus, a term that includes a group of viruses, identified by a number or type. Infection with HPV is very common, according to the American Cancer Society and, in most cases, the body clears the infection on its own. But over time, a chronic or long-lasting infection, when linked to certain high-risk HPV types, can cause cancer. And in women, nearly all cervical cancers — the most common form of cancer linked to the virus — are caused by HPV, according to the American Cancer Society.
RELATED: ‘If I Had Breast Cancer You Would Never Have Heard from Me’ — Survivor Marcia Cross Steps Up Her Advocacy
“HPV is as common as rainwater,” Willis wrote. “The CDC says that nearly all American men and women will get some strain of HPV in their lifetime. That’s a lot of ticking time bombs.”
Study: More than 70% of Americans Don’t Know HPV Can Cause Certain Cancers
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 80 million Americans have HPV. But a study published last year suggests that more than 70% of Americans don’t know that HPV can cause anal, oral and penile cancers.
SurvivorNet asked: “Can HPV Cause Cancer?”
The findings, out of the UTHealth School of Public Health, were based on a national survey of 2,564 men and 3,697 women. The survey also revealed that only 19% of men and 31.5% of women eligible for vaccination received HPV vaccine recommendations from their doctors.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Constance Costas is a writer for SurvivorNet.
Read MoreFox Business anchor and breast cancer survivor Gerri Willis is joining the ranks of personalities who have gone public with “embarrassing” details about their health to help spread awareness.
RELATED: SurvivorNet Celebrates the Celebrities Who Helped Remove the Shame and Stigma of Cancer in 2019
Read More “I debated whether to talk about this publicly,” Willis, 60, shared on
Foxnews.com about her latest news — she’s having a hysterectomy for pre-cancerous cells in her cervix, which she says were caused by the HPV virus. “After all, HPV is transmitted by sexual contact. It’s embarrassing. Not the topic of polite cocktail chatter. I didn’t want [my Fox family] to think less of me.”
Willis’ Important Message
“But the truth is,” she continues, “HPV is worth talking about simply because it is ignored. Fear of the virus sometimes makes us reluctant to get the facts. That was me. I knew nothing beyond the ads I saw on television. What I have learned since is that HPV can lay dormant for decades. And, then, when you least expect it, unmask itself. That’s what happened to me.”
RELATED VIDEO: Dr. Allen S. Ho of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on the basics you need to now about HPV and cancer risk
“I am upbeat and optimistic because this surgery is preventative. I’m in front of the curve this time in my fight — being treated before an actual cancer has time to develop,” Willis says.
RELATED: Don’t Dwell on “Why Me” Says Journalist Gerri Willis Who Just Had a Cervical Cancer Scare After Beating Stage Three Breast Cancer
She adds that the pre-cancerous cells were found by a routine PAP smear. “Early detection is critical. Please, take my advice, ladies,” she urges. “I know it can be hard to find the time for these simple tests but your life may quite literally depend on it.
HPV — ‘As Common as Rainwater’
HPV is short for human papillomavirus, a term that includes a group of viruses, identified by a number or type. Infection with HPV is very common, according to the American Cancer Society and, in most cases, the body clears the infection on its own. But over time, a chronic or long-lasting infection, when linked to certain high-risk HPV types, can cause cancer. And in women, nearly all cervical cancers — the most common form of cancer linked to the virus — are caused by HPV, according to the American Cancer Society.
RELATED: ‘If I Had Breast Cancer You Would Never Have Heard from Me’ — Survivor Marcia Cross Steps Up Her Advocacy
“HPV is as common as rainwater,” Willis wrote. “The CDC says that nearly all American men and women will get some strain of HPV in their lifetime. That’s a lot of ticking time bombs.”
Study: More than 70% of Americans Don’t Know HPV Can Cause Certain Cancers
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 80 million Americans have HPV. But a study published last year suggests that more than 70% of Americans don’t know that HPV can cause anal, oral and penile cancers.
SurvivorNet asked: “Can HPV Cause Cancer?”
The findings, out of the UTHealth School of Public Health, were based on a national survey of 2,564 men and 3,697 women. The survey also revealed that only 19% of men and 31.5% of women eligible for vaccination received HPV vaccine recommendations from their doctors.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Constance Costas is a writer for SurvivorNet.
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