Victoria Bordea from Chisinau will never forget that day in her life. When, with a heavy heart, she left her three-year-old daughter in the care of a friend and went to the hospital for an operation to treat a precancerous lesion on her cervix.
She never thought it could happen to her. She knew about the cervical cancer screening test, but why get it? She had never had any symptoms. She could think of anything but a precancerous lesion.
The mother in Italy convinced her to take the cytology test
After three years of childcare leave, her daughter Valentina started kindergarten, and Victoria returned to work. She works at a hair salon in Chisinau, surrounded mostly by women.
“I remember them talking about the cytology test, their family doctor calling them and inviting them to take the test. I think that’s when I first thought that maybe I should take this test too.”, Victoria remembers.
However, she kept putting it off from day to day, because she felt fine, she was perfectly healthy, until a discussion with her mother, who was living in Italy, finally convinced her. She had to have the cytology test, because it is recommended to be done after the age of 25, and she was 30 and had never had it done.
That’s how she ended up at the family doctor at the district polyclinic, where she performed the cytology test, a simple and painless procedure that takes a few minutes. Victoria returned to work and her usual routine.
“I didn’t think it could be anything bad”
A week later, however, a call from her family doctor alarmed her, inviting her to take the test again because the results were not the best.
“I didn’t think it could be anything bad because I still didn’t have any symptoms. I thought it was a mistake and it would go away.”
However, the repeated test indicated the presence of HPV infection and changes in the cervix.
Only then did Victoria understand how serious it was and how important and decisive the moment was when she went to the family doctor to have the cytology test done.
The road to recovery
What followed was a difficult period, but still full of hope and optimism.
She was scheduled for a consultation at the Colposcopy Reference Center within the Institute of Mother and Child, where she underwent several colposcopic diagnostic and treatment investigations. The one who encouraged her the most and was by her side all this time was her gynecologist Diana Valuță, Head of the Unit for Coordination of the Implementation of Cervical Screening. Together they achieved the success of the treatment.
“I still remember it now. It was exactly on Easter Friday, when Mrs. Diana called me and congratulated me. She told me that there was no need to do anything, that I didn’t have cancer and that from now on I should enjoy life and take better care of my health.”
“I came home then, hugged my little girl and told her that we did it, that we are the strongest. I learned my lesson, because if I put it off any longer, it could be too late. I hope other women learn from my experience and go to the doctor!”
Authorities and international organizations urge women to prioritize health
Victoria is one of the lucky women who, thanks to the nationwide implementation of cervical screening, managed to prevent cervical cancer. More and more women are doing this in Moldova, with the cervical screening coverage rate for women aged 25-61 doubling in recent years, from 36% in 2021 to 62% in 2023, according to data from the Cervical Screening Implementation Coordination Unit.
However, many women continue to go to the doctor too late, and about 300 women die from this every year. They leave behind grieving families, little girls and boys of 3, 5 or 10 years old, because most women affected by cervical cancer are young, of reproductive age.
The Ministry of Health, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Health Organization urge all women to confidently use cervical cancer prevention services, which include vaccination against HPV infection and cytological testing performed every three years, between the ages of 25 and 61, at their family doctor. These measures ensure maximum protection against cervical cancer and increase the chance of a healthy life.
