Eileen McGill Fox was diagnosed with three different cancers after discovering her husband of 30 years had cheated and given her a common STI.
Cheating is always a betrayal, and breaking your partner’s trust can have serious psychological consequences. The trauma of infidelity can linger, creating trust issues and affecting one’s self-esteem. For Eileen McGill Fox, however, her husband’s cheating had far more severe consequences than that.
Fox, a Florida school teacher and mother of four, discovered her husband had been unfaithful three decades into their marriage. When she later went in for a Pap smear, the results confirmed he had given her Human Papillomavirus (HPV), one of the most common sexually transmitted infections, with certain strains posing a high risk of developing into cancer.
HPV and cancer
Her results came back as “high risk,” and she was later diagnosed with vulvar cancer, cervical cancer, and anal cancer as a result. Doctors confirmed the diseases were “preventable” with the HPV vaccine. According to Tyla, she underwent a hysterectomy, had parts of her labia and surrounding skin removed, and is currently undergoing cancer treatment.
After everything she has gone through, Fox is now working to raise awareness about HPV and encourage people to get vaccinated. She told the Tampa Bay Times: “When I tell people I have anal cancer, I’m like, ‘It is what it is.’ Let’s talk about vulvas and anuses and cervixes. Let’s remove the stigma and the shadow language for dealing with it.
“If it can happen to a married woman of 30 years, then it can happen to anybody. I’m a mother of four, living a life of work and community service, and then I find myself on the receiving end of this vicious, vicious virus.”
HPV vaccine
According to the Mayo Clinic: “Gardasil 9 is an HPV vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and can be used for males and females to protect against cervical cancer and genital warts.
“Two doses of the HPV vaccine are recommended for children ages 11 and 12, but this vaccine can be given as early as age 9. The two-dose series is given until age 14, with doses administered at least five months apart. Teens and young adults who begin the vaccine series at ages 15 through 26 should receive three doses.”
To learn more, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
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