For Claudia Perez-Favela, cancer has long been the proverbial elephant in the room. Growing up in a Latino family, she watched relatives endure cancer and even perish from the disease over the years, yet they never openly shared their experiences or discussed the realities of their illnesses.
“In my family, cancer is like the flu,” she reflected.
Because cancer was treated as a taboo subject, when Claudia eventually contracted cervical cancer stemming from the human papillomavirus (HPV), she found herself unable to turn to her family for the emotional support she desperately needed.
“They are gonna say… I got cancer because I did something wrong… we don’t talk about cancer,” she explained.
Instead of remaining silent and retreating into the shadows of cultural stigma, Claudia shook off the heavy burden associated with her diagnosis. She made a conscious decision to share her story publicly and challenge the harmful falsehoods and misconceptions surrounding HPV, ensuring that other women like her remain informed, protected, and empowered against cancer.
Claudia Perez-Favela: Challenges to Health Care
Claudia’s journey through the health care landscape spans two countries and numerous systemic hurdles. Born and raised in Sinaloa, Mexico, she immigrated to the United States in 2010 at the age of 30, settling down in San Diego with her husband to build a future and raise their children.
During those early years in San Diego, the family lacked health insurance, a barrier that forced them to drive several hours across the international border to receive routine medical care in Mexico.
“My husband had a job, and we were low income. I didn’t know I qualified for any program. I tried to apply, but I didn’t qualify,” she recalled.
Whenever Claudia required gynecological care, she routinely visited a trusted doctor in Mexico who had overseen her previous pregnancies and managed her treatment for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a common hormonal disorder affecting the ovaries that can cause chronic disruptions in menstruation.
The family later relocated to Imperial Valley, California, a small town situated right along the Mexican border. Even after the move, obtaining her yearly Pap test still required a lengthy, inconvenient trip back to Tijuana.
Following the tragic death of her mother from ovarian cancer—a devastating reproductive cancer—in 2013, Claudia became hyper-vigilant, taking all necessary precautions to safeguard her own health. That vigilance was put to the test one day in 2017 when she experienced a period that was noticeably different from anything she had encountered before.
“It was so much higher than other times. It was like a hemorrhage. I couldn’t stop bleeding. It was very high bleeding and I was worried. It was a red flag, because my mom, before she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer she went through the same thing,” Claudia described.
Knowing immediately that she needed a medical evaluation, Claudia scheduled an appointment with a doctor in Tijuana, timing it to coincide with a planned summer family vacation in three months. However, by the time she finally saw the physician, the heavy bleeding had subsided entirely, and there was nothing acute left to treat.
The episode served as a profound wake-up call. Claudia realized she needed to establish ongoing care with an American physician to maintain consistent preventative health measures.
After being added to her husband’s employer-sponsored insurance plan, Claudia set out to find a local doctor, only to discover that navigating the American health care system was a frustratingly complex and confusing endeavor. She struggled to comprehend the lengthy waiting lists for appointments, a stark contrast to her ability to call a clinic in Mexico and be seen by a doctor the very next day.
When she was finally able to secure an appointment with a U.S. provider, Claudia detailed her symptoms and her poignant family history of cancer. The medical team ordered a Pap test along with a biomarker screening, informing her that they would contact her only if they found anything abnormal.
“I always say I was looking for ovarian cancer,” Claudia noted.
Initially, her Pap test results came back normal, offering a brief sense of relief. But just two weeks later, she received an unexpected phone call that would alter the course of her life.
“They called me and they said, ‘We are calling you because you need to come in because there was a problem with your pap test.’ I say, ‘No, my pap test is negative.’ ‘Oh, yeah, but you tested positive for HPV,’” she recounted.
Claudia Perez-Favela: HPV and Cancer Diagnosis
Prompted by the positive screening, Claudia returned to the clinic for a colposcopy to confirm the diagnosis. Two weeks later, she went back to receive the results, only to be told that she had developed cancer.
She could hardly believe what she was hearing. How could she have just been informed that she had HPV, and now be facing a cancer diagnosis?
Due to an aggressive strain of the virus, precancerous cellular changes had formed in her cervix.
“I didn’t hear precancerous, I just heard cancer, and I started crying because it was the same month my mom died,” Claudia said.
The shock of the diagnosis was quickly compounded by the medical advice she received regarding the origin of the virus. When Claudia asked how she had contracted HPV, the doctor informed her that it must stem from having multiple sexual partners.
Claudia was completely floored by the accusation. She had only ever been with one man: her husband.
When she shared this fact with her healthcare provider, the practitioner suggested an alternative and deeply painful explanation: that her husband must have been unfaithful.
“I went from crying to getting mad… when I get mad, my face talks,” Claudia said.
The provider instructed her to return in two weeks to discuss potential treatment options.
“Those two weeks were the worst week of my life because I’m an over-thinker,” she recalled.
Leaving the clinic, Claudia was engulfed by a turbulent whirlwind of emotions. Upon stepping into the car, she confronted her father, who had accompanied her to the appointment, sharing the terrifying news.
“She told me I had cancer and I’m gonna die like my mom… and it’s [my husband’s] fault,” she remembered telling him.
Driven by an overwhelming mix of grief, fear, and anger, she repeated the same accusations to her husband upon returning home. He was completely taken aback and deeply hurt by the assertion that he had cheated on her.
What Claudia did not yet understand was that the virus can remain dormant in the human body for years, or even decades, without detection. But how was she supposed to know that scientific reality when HPV and sexual health were never openly discussed within her community?
Because HPV is strongly associated with sexual activity, open discussions about the virus, its transmission, and how to prevent it remain heavily stigmatized within the Latino community, according to Claudia.
“In our community… we don’t talk about it. If you have it. You don’t talk. You don’t say nothing again. You don’t talk like that. You don’t bring this conversation up again,” Claudia said.
Although Claudia remained initially distraught over the damaging implication of infidelity, there was no evidence to support any wrongdoing, and the couple ultimately made the conscious decision to drop the assumption and focus entirely on her health.
Claudia Perez-Favela: Empowerment Through Education
Seeking answers and guidance, Claudia turned to Cervivor, a dedicated nonprofit organization and support network for women affected by cervical cancer. The organization provided her with comprehensive education regarding HPV and her specific cancer diagnosis.
The encounter offered immense comfort, calming her fears and empowering her to take proactive control over her medical care and future health decisions.
Understanding that her mother had passed away shortly after an ovarian cancer diagnosis—a disease notoriously difficult to catch early—Claudia decided to take matters into her own hands. She formally requested that, while undergoing surgery to treat her cervical cancer, her doctors also remove her ovaries as a preventative measure against ovarian cancer.
However, her physician initially pushed back, claiming she was too young for the procedure.
Having watched multiple family members battle and succumb to cancer, and having suffered through years of painful PCOS, Claudia stood her ground.
“I say, ‘In all my family, cancer is like the flu. I don’t want to come back next year and you tell me I have ovarian cancer.’ He said, ‘Ok, but it’s going to put you into menopause.’ I don’t care. I prefer to deal with menopause than every time thinking I’m gonna have ovarian next time. I’m going to have ovarian next time,” she asserted.
As a devoted mother of three, Claudia felt she had too much to lose and steadfastly refused to put her children through the trauma of another cancer battle in the family.
Realizing her determination, the doctor ultimately agreed to the surgery. Claudia underwent a radical hysterectomy and bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy just two days shy of the fifth anniversary of her mother’s death.
Following the removal of her cervix, the tissue was sent out for thorough pathological evaluation. The results brought profound relief: no evidence of cancer was found, and no additional medical treatments were required.
Later genetic testing revealed that Claudia carried a genetic mutation that increased her predisposition to certain cancers, reinforcing the wisdom of her proactive decision to have her ovaries removed.
Claudia Perez-Favela: Survivor Turned Advocate
Despite the positive medical outcome, the relatively straightforward path to recovery left Claudia grappling with a confusing emotional aftermath.
“I was so glad, but at the same time I was confused. Was I a cancer patient or not?” Claudia wondered.
No one on her medical team had clearly explained what the phrase “no evidence of disease” meant in her specific context, nor had they prepared her for the emotional turbulence that often follows a cancer scare.
In the wake of her radical hysterectomy, Claudia struggled with her identity as a survivor and experienced intense feelings of guilt for having escaped the grueling treatments endured by others.
“Reading all the [survivor] stories, I feel like the survivor’s guilt, the imposter syndrome. Like no, they’re going for things harder than me, I feel like I’m not a cancer patient,” Claudia admitted.
It took her five years to fully process and come to terms with her experience, a healing journey she largely attributes to finding community in advocacy and sharing her story.
In 2023, Claudia was invited to attend Cervivor School, an immersive retreat and advocacy training program designed specifically for cervical cancer survivors, which was held that year in Seattle.
“They helped me to understand my story matters, because they say, you always minimize your story. You say, ‘No, you don’t have a story because you say you didn’t have chemo or radiation,’ but no, you are one of us,” Claudia explained.
That pivotal gathering marked the true beginning of Claudia’s robust career as a cancer advocate. Over the past few years, she has dedicated herself to sharing her personal story widely to dismantle the deep-seated stigmas surrounding reproductive cancers and HPV.
“The reason these types of cancers are rising is because people don’t talk. Women don’t want to talk about it. They feel too much shame. While for me, what I hated the most is when I saw health providers promoting the stigma,” Claudia said.
Far too often, Claudia encounters social media posts and public discussions that incorrectly associate HPV exclusively with promiscuity, prompting her to speak out against the harmful stereotypes that discourage women from seeking care. By confronting these taboos head-on, she helps other women understand their true health risks, the efficacy of preventative vaccines, and the critical importance of routine gynecological exams.
“I feel good when people say, ‘I read your story and I did this,’ or ‘I will get checked,’ or ‘I have that but I don’t have the courage like you to bring it up,’” Claudia noted.
Today, Claudia serves in multiple capacities with Cervivor as an ambassador, mentor, and advocate. She has spoken at numerous cancer awareness events, conducts community outreach and education for the Every Woman Counts Program—an initiative promoting vital cervical cancer screenings in vulnerable communities—and has lent her voice and advocacy efforts to the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.
More recently, Claudia joined 15 other Latino cancer survivors for the Latino Cancer Patient Advocate Training Program, which convened in person ahead of the biennial Advancing Cancer Research for Latinos and All Populations Conference held in San Antonio, Texas.
During the program, participants learned directly from medical and research experts how to amplify their voices by sharing their personal narratives, advocating for their communities, and driving meaningful change in cancer research and healthcare policy.
For Claudia, every speaking engagement and community outreach effort reinforces the profound impact of her journey and the responsibility she feels toward future generations.
“I [speak up] for my daughter. I don’t want her to go through this. I do it for my mom. She couldn’t get treatment on time. And I do it for all the women who don’t have a voice… I don’t want more women going through this with nobody to help them.”
