Mother of three shares her cervical cancer journey

Right now, Bridget Parker is fighting for her life as she battles advanced cervical cancer. She is currently being treated at Ascension St. Vincent in Indianapolis. 

“Honestly, it feels like 'Groundhog Day' a lot of times,” Bridget said. 

Since Bridget's diagnosis in 2025, her weeks are filled with a full schedule of CT scans, chemotherapy, radiation and countless medical appointments. Bridget's cervical cancer was discovered at stage 3C, which is considered an advanced stage.

“Just the same thing over and over and over, and just keeping track of appointments and who am I seeing this week? Who am I seeing this month? What's happening?” Bridget said.

She turned to the cancer care team at Ascension St. Vincent after getting an irregular Pap Smear during her annual well woman visit. “With Bridget, she was one of those people unfortunately that the regular Pap smear did not catch the cervical cancer at an early stage because of where it was located,” said Dr. Megan Buechel, MD, gynecologic oncologist at Ascension St. Vincent.

Dr. Buechel says as a result, screening methods are evolving.

“As screening is changing, we're actually learning a lot about how HPV testing, rather than the traditional Pap smear, is probably going to help us catch more of these cases,” Dr. Buechel said. 

Although Bridget is still getting treatment for cancer, she’s grateful to see her 50th birthday. She recently marked the milestone birthday with a trip to New York City with her husband, Tod. He has been by her side throughout her treatment, documenting her journey and focusing on hope. “It was an 82% survival rate, so we're taking that and we're going to roll with it," Bridget said.

The couple has three sons and much to look forward to. Their youngest, a swimmer at the University of Utah, got a tattoo of his mom’s favorite flowers — sunflowers and lilies. Their oldest son recently earned his PhD, and their middle son is preparing for a June wedding.

“I know there's a light at the end of the tunnel,” Bridget said. 

She’s doing what she can to get more people to encourage more people to learn about prevention. Even while traveling to NYC, she continued to advocate for prevention, holding a sign at the "TODAY" show set to promote the HPV vaccine.

“Definitely go ahead and do it. Vaccinate your kids while you can because this cancer is very preventable," Bridget said. 

The HPV vaccine is FDA-approved for individuals ages 9 through 45. A key recommendation is for routine vaccination at 11-12 years old (can start at 9) and catch-up vaccination is recommended through age 26. Adults in the 27-45 age range may benefit, and a discussion with your doctor is recommended as more people have likely been exposed to HPV, offering less benefit. 

Bridget also wants women to know that perimenopause symptoms can mimic cervical cancer symptoms, but you shouldn’t ignore them.

“Heavier than normal menstruation," Bridget said. "The painful menstruation, bleeding in between cycles, extreme fatigue, hot flashes, night sweats and all of those line up also with the cervical cancer.”

Bridget is expected to ring the bell, signaling the end of her cancer treatment, in April. She is sharing her story in hopes of sparing others from the same journey.

To help with early detection, get a Pap smear with HPV screening. Appointments are available at Ascension St. Vincent locations. ascension.org/StVincentWomens