Finding Purpose Through Pain.
Jessica never imagined that her life would one day revolve around cancer. A stay-at-home mother of five, her days were filled with the beautiful chaos of family life. While her family remains her priority, today, she also shares another part of her life openly on social media: her journey through HPV-related throat cancer. What began as a devastating diagnosis has become something unexpectedly meaningful, a way to help others feel less alone and to turn pain into purpose.
When Symptoms Could No Longer Be Ignored.
Cancer had already touched Jessica’s family long before it touched her. Her grandfather died from throat cancer, and her father was diagnosed with HPV-related throat cancer as well. But when Jessica first began experiencing symptoms herself, cancer never truly felt like a possibility. Without health insurance and already navigating financial hardship, getting medical care felt out of reach. She noticed changes in her tonsil and began feeling increasingly unwell, but life kept moving, and she tried to make sense of the symptoms on her own.
Over time, the warning signs grew harder to ignore. She experienced dizziness severe enough to send her to the emergency room, but scans revealed nothing conclusive. Night sweats followed, which she brushed off as possible perimenopause. Looking back now, she realizes her body had been sounding alarms for nearly two years. Between March and May of 2024, she lost 25 pounds in just three months. Then, in July, a lump appeared on her neck seemingly overnight.
“I remember thinking, ‘What is this?’” Jessica recalls. “I went straight to Google trying to self-diagnose.”
Cancer appeared in the search results, but she tried to convince herself it had to be something else. Still uninsured, she delayed seeking care while continuing to struggle financially. Eventually, she qualified for Medicaid, and things finally began moving forward. She established care, attended appointments through the fall, and in January 2025, she received the diagnosis: HPV-related throat cancer that had spread to her lymph nodes.
The news was overwhelming. Jessica had gone to the appointment alone, never imagining she would leave with a cancer diagnosis that day. Yet even in that terrifying moment, there was also relief.
Soon after, everything moved quickly, from chemotherapy, to radiation, scans, and appointments.
Navigating the Emotional Side of Survivorship.
But survivorship, Jessica says, brought an entirely new challenge.
“The survivorship part of it is a whole other thing,” she explains. “You spiral over every symptom, every change in your body, every little thing.”
During treatment and follow-up care, Jessica learned about the NavDx test NOT from her medical team, but through an HPV throat cancer support group on Facebook. At first, the test was never offered as part of her care. Then came another scare.
Months after treatment, Jessica discovered new lumps and immediately feared the cancer had returned. Although her PET scan showed no evidence of disease, the anxiety was overwhelming. Eventually, her care team performed the NavDx test, which confirmed that the lumps were NOT HPV-driven cancer.
Finding Peace of Mind Through NavDx® Testing.
For Jessica, the experience changed everything.
“You have to understand the peace of mind that you feel by having a test to know for certain,” she says.
She advocated for herself again, explaining to her doctors that the NavDx test could provide reassurance during the long stretches between scans. Her care team agreed, and when her result came back at zero, the relief was immediate.
“I was so happy,” she says. “It gave me peace of mind.”
Since then, she has continued monitoring with follow-up testing and is preparing for another upcoming test. The NavDx test’s value, for Jessica, has been deeply personal. The testing has helped quiet the constant fear that can follow cancer survivors long after treatment ends.
Gratitude for the Team That Saved Her Life.
Jessica credits every member of her care team for helping her through the darkest chapter of her life. From her primary care physician to her ENT specialist, to the providers at Moffitt Cancer Center, she says each person played a role in saving her life.
Though the road through treatment was difficult, she remains deeply grateful for the care, support, and guidance she received along the way.
Learning to Love the Ordinary Again.
Now, Jessica is focused on rebuilding her life one day at a time. Although she recently lost insurance coverage again, she remains hopeful and is pursuing financial assistance options. More than anything, cancer has reshaped the way she sees everyday life.
She can now cherish the simple moments with additional peace of mind. Watching the sun come up with a cup of coffee in hand, cooking meals and enjoying food again after treatment, going to the beach with her family, and movie nights at home.
Through sharing her story publicly, Jessica hopes others facing HPV-related cancers will feel empowered to listen to their bodies, advocate for themselves, and know they are not alone.
“What I went through was terrible,” she says, “but if sharing it helps even one person, then it means something.”
