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	Two minutes of slight discomfort saved the life of Esther Hope when a routine smear test for cervical cancer came back with an abnormal result.</p>
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	The 36-year-old mother of two was &ldquo;harassed&rdquo; by friends to get a smear test in 2012. Fortunately, she relented.</p>
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	&ldquo;It was after I had my second boy, a friend of mine had been harassing me to get my smear [test] done. I eventually made an appointment, not expecting anything, but I got a letter saying there was an abnormality and that I needed to get a biopsy done and then couple of weeks later I was called and told the result was high grade-three pre-cancerous.</p>
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	&ldquo;We were told that between six months and a year it would be full cancerous, you would have had to get chemo and everything. It was quite shocking, because I had two young kids,&rdquo; she told the Irish Examiner.</p>
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	Also, during the time between waiting for the results of her biopsy and possible treatment, Esther and her husband Gareth attended the funeral of a woman of the same age who died as a result of cervical cancer.</p>
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	Following Esther&rsquo;s biopsy results, she went for what is known as the &ldquo;LLETZ procedure&rdquo;.</p>
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	&ldquo;It burns all the cells. I was very grateful that my husband came with me for all the procedures, they numb you by injecting you around the area, you aren&rsquo;t knocked out,&rdquo; she said.</p>
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	She had regular check-ups to make sure nothing had grown back and now she is back to the usual interval of three-year check-ups.</p>
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	&ldquo;The way I see it is, it&rsquo;s literally two minutes of slight discomfort that will save your life. You&rsquo;ve got peace of mind. I&rsquo;d rather have what I went through rather than chemo, or worse, the removal of organs,&rdquo; said Esther.</p>
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	&ldquo;So, if there is a problem you find out early enough so you can do something about it,&rdquo; she added.</p>
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	Esther&rsquo;s husband is also outspoken about the need to get tested and attending the funeral of the young woman remains in his mind.</p>
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	&ldquo;What brought it home to me was the funeral. By not finding out early enough we were standing at a grave and looking over at a dad like me.</p>
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	&ldquo;These things, you can&rsquo;t leave them unchecked. The whole family is involved. I still see this man every day dropping his kids to school living as a single parent,&rdquo; said Gareth.</p>
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	While speaking out as a man about women&rsquo;s health would be uncomfortable for some, he said it should not be treated as a &ldquo;dark secret&rdquo;.</p>
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	&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not something that should be shamed, it shouldn&rsquo;t be a dark secret.</p>
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	&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t go around talking about it to women, exactly, but if I&rsquo;m with Esther and she&rsquo;s talking about it, I&rsquo;ve often echoed her thoughts,&rdquo; said Gareth.</p>
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	Yesterday marked the start of European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week, which runs until next Saturday.</p>
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	The Pearl of Wisdom campaign was launched by broadcaster Maura Derrane, It is supported by the national screening programme CervicalCheck, and the Irish Family Planning Association.</p>
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	See www.cervicalcheck.ie</p>
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	(Published by the Irish Examiner on the 23<sup>rd</sup> January 2017)</p>
<p>
	<a href="https://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/quick-smear-test-saved-mums-life-440314.html">https://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/quick-smear-test-saved-mums-life-440314.html</a></p>
