The Benefit of Quick Testing and Treatment For Women

Hello John,

Because of your generous support, health promoter practitioners and midwives continue their amazing work of expanding and deepening access to health care in regions where no other health care options exist.  In addition to being the primary health care providers in their communities, practitioners have also been greatly expanding their skills, tools, and services to address more needs.

Eva Alicia, who recently finished her studies as the region’s only physical therapist, shared an insightful report on the remarkable advancements in women’s health care in Guatemala. Practitioners and midwives have gained new skills and tools for detecting and treating cervical cancer. This disease is the fourth leading cause of death for women in Latin America.

In addition to affordable pap smears, pelvic exams, and cervical biopsies that practitioners and midwives have been providing for years, they are now able to quickly treat dysplasia and develop an immediate plan if cancer is found.

Your support has allowed Concern America to continue to grow and expand in the ways that communities need. None of these advancements would be possible without you.

Thank you for making such a meaningful difference! This is what global hearts can do. ❤❤ 

Good day, friends. This is your team member Eva Alicia from Guatemala greeting you.

Earlier this month, the women’s team in Guatemala carried out our monthly screening day for cervical cancer detection. To be honest, for several days now I’ve wanted to send my deepest thanks for providing us with support to obtain the thermocoagulation equipment, which will benefit many communities.

Reflecting a bit on when I first began my training as a health promoter, I also supported the Pap smear campaigns we conducted in 2004. The women waiting outside didn’t want to come in for a consultation with me because they said I was too young, and they felt embarrassed. And truthfully, I was also embarrassed to examine the older women, but I was also aware that it was work requiring a great deal of respect and responsibility.

We spoke with them, and little by little, they adapted, until now they say, “I want to go with her.” Haha.

Then we faced challenges with delivering Pap smear results, which was quite complicated due to the distances and financial costs. In 2007, with a local NGO, we took a few weeks of training to learn how to perform VIA (Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid). It was a good experience for me personally, and it also made the work easier. We could provide results immediately and treat any precancerous lesions on the cervix that we found.

Additionally, if we saw any signs of suspected cancer, we could do the biopsy right then and there. I feel happy doing this work, as over the years it has brought a lot of learning and experience.

I also want to share that I’ve been an instructor several times, teaching other women in the west about VIA. On one occasion, there was a gynecologist who didn’t know me, and he seemed a bit unsure of my abilities, haha. And he had a point—he had to make sure I knew what I was doing. So, when the first patients came in for the exam, the instructor has to teach the students, and the gynecologist was there to see if I could handle it. Well, I did the entire procedure, and afterward, he sat down and said, “The speculum is very well placed, great technique,” and regarding the results, he always asked for the instructor’s opinion, and we agreed on the diagnosis and treatment…

During the years of the Maya Petén program in Las Cruces, we’ve been fighting to prevent cancer, especially cervical cancer.

I just wanted to mention that sometimes we hold VIA screening campaigns in communities, which had been a challenge because carrying the nitrous oxide tank was so heavy. Plus, we left at dawn, always just us women. We managed to load the tank into the car, but it was a bit tough. It also took a few days of logistics to fill the nitrous oxide tank.

Now that we have the thermocoagulation equipment, it will make our work much easier, and I’m very happy to be able to provide treatments for women with limited resources.

The thermocoagulation equipment will benefit many women from the most remote communities. Some communities are 3 to 4 hours away from Las Cruces, and I’m excited to hold more campaigns during this time with the thermocoagulation equipment to bring the benefit of quick testing and treatment to the women, if necessary.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your great support. A big hug.