WNBA star Erica Wheeler lost her mother to cervical cancer—now she’s urging Black women not to skip screenings

WNBA star Erica Wheeler knows firsthand how life-altering it can be to miss one too many annual screenings. During her junior year of college, Wheeler lost her mother and best friend, Melissa Cooper, to stage 4 cervical cancer. Now 12 years later, she’s sounding the alarm on a message she wishes she knew to give her mother. 

“I just want to encourage women to get the test…Please,” she told theGrio, emphasizing the importance of cervical health screenings. “I pause like that, because it’s so dear to me, and had I known what I knew now, things would be a lot different.” 

“Go, get your routine, pap [smear] and HPV test, please. I do not want anybody to experience the pain that I experienced. I wish I had a voice telling me to do these things in 2012 when my mom passed away,” she added. 

January is designated as National Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, but the call to get annual screenings and Pap tests should resonate throughout the year. And with her partnership with Hologic, the Seattle Storm point guard is hoping to be the reminder women need. 

“How many times have you had to reschedule an appointment and say, ‘I’m going to reschedule it, I’m going to reschedule it,’ and you just get too busy, and then it no longer becomes a priority in your life?” Wheeler noted. “My mom was a single parent raising three kids—three girls—so I know life can get real busy, and we can put things off, and it can be too late sometimes.” 

Now through Hologic’s “Ultimate Defense” campaign, Wheeler hopes to use the power of sports to spark conversations between patients and their healthcare providers about cervical cancer and inform women about the tools available to them to combat and treat it. 

“The most important step women can take to protect their cervical health is to stay up to date with routine screenings through a trusted healthcare provider. There are so many ways we can protect our health, and cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers when screening guidelines are followed,” Dr. Jessica Shepherd, a board-certified OB/GYN, told theGrio. “Lack of insurance should never be a barrier to preventive care. Many women can receive free or low-cost cervical cancer screening options that are available through community health centers, local health departments, federally qualified health centers, and nonprofit clinics.” 

Doctors recommend that women ages 21-29 have a Pap test every 3 years. And for women ages 30-65, the standard of care is to receive co-testing, Pap + HPV testing together, every 5 years. While studies show 95% of cervical cancer cases are detected with co-testing, Dr. Shepherd emphasized the importance of keeping up with annual doctor visits in addition to cervical screenings. 

“Cervical cancer often does not cause symptoms in its early stages, which is why regular screening is so critical. Many times the cells are changing and do not cause symptoms until it is late stage.  Early prevention and diagnosis is key for treatment and survival.  This is especially important for Black women, who are more likely to be diagnosed at later stages and 2x more likely to die from cervical cancer compared to white women,” she noted. “The good news is that nearly all cases of cervical cancer are preventable through routine screening by your doctor with Pap and HPV tests.” 

Though Wheeler wishes she could have gotten ahead of her mother’s diagnosis, she says her mother’s legacy continues to guide her steps as she navigates life. 

“My mom is watching every step. So for me, I just try to always give my 100% and give my best,” she explained, sharing how her mother taught her the tools to be a great woman, authentic, and to stay true to herself. And now with her platform, Wheeler hopes to do the same for the next generation –– encouraging them not to give up. 

“I always want to honor her in a way, to make her proud…I can’t let my girl down,” she concluded. “Any moment that I can highlight my mom. I’m all in, because losing my mom is a pain that if you lost anybody, it’s a pain that just never really heals, and it’s ongoing. I think with time, it just gets better. So Hologic giving me this campaign to share my experience and share my journey with losing my mom to cervical cancer, and being able to be an advocate and a voice to push and encourage women to talk to their doctors and get screened; it’s super important.” 

Learn more at YourUltimateDefense.com.