If it weren’t for Marathon Health’s Nurse Practitioner Wendy Wall at the Aflac Care Center, I would not have advocated for myself and spoken to my gynecologist about running more tests as to why I was having abnormal screenings. Through Wendy’s guidance, I asked for a LEEP procedure to get more cells from my uterine cervix lining to be tested. Thankfully I did, because they came back as cancerous.
The unknown of why I was having abnormal annual screenings was daunting and frustrating. With each subsequent test that my gynecologist did, the cells would come back non-malignant…but I just knew something else was wrong.
Wendy is just overall fantastic and who I affectionately refer to as my life saver. Without her guidance and support, who knows what would have happened with me. Wendy is my source of comfort and one of the only health professionals who I truly trust and know will be there for me.
Since being diagnosed, I have undergone a hysterectomy to fully remove the cancer and can happily say that I am cancer free now, thanks to Wendy! My health is now fantastic. My stress levels, blood pressure and overall mental health have seen a major improvement.
I am now the healthiest and happiest I have ever been. Just knowing that I did the right thing by advocating for myself brings me peace.
My advice? Talk to your doctors and be honest with them. Always trust your gut and don’t quit when you just know something isn’t right. I’m so glad that Wendy spoke to me about the additional procedure and empowered me to advocate for myself. — Rachel Strouse, Marathon Health Member
