BY TSC STAFF

Deborah Grose, a 31-year-old survivor of cervical cancer, plans to help other cancer patients after she earns her doctorate in pharmacy, reports the Charleston Daily Mail.

Grose, a native of Florida, was diagnosed with cervical cancer during a routine gynecological examination she received while she was an undergraduate student at Ohio State University.

“There were no signs whatsoever,” she said.

Luckily, because the disease had been caught early during a regular exam, doctors determined that Grose just had Stage Zero cancer. After two operations intended to remove malignant cells, she was deemed cancer-free without having to undergo additional surgery or chemotherapy.

Now a doctorate student at the University of Charleston, Grose will earn a pharmacy degree in 2013. Although her graduation is still years away, she already knows what kind of specialization she will obtain.

Thanks to her own experience with cancer – as well as her experience watching a beloved uncle die from leukemia – Grose hopes to specialize in oncology care. As a practitioner in this field, she would work to formulate chemotherapy treatments used to help other patients overcome cancer.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 12,000 women in the United States were diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2005, the latest year for which statistics are available. Additionally, another 3,924 American women died from the disease that same year.

To protect themselves against cervical cancer, women are encouraged to get regular pap smears. Additionally, the HPV vaccine can help reduce the chances of developing this form of cancer.

Women who have survived cervical cancer can contact the National Cervical Cancer Coalition for information, resources and support.