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Woman Reveals How A Common Sexually Transmitted Infection Turned Into Cancer
It spread to her tonsils, under the tongue, and left lymph node.
In 2019, Jo Murray had believed she was suffering from a sore throat but not until she spotted a lump. Her first appointment with a doctor ended up in a dismissal of her concerns. But in January 2020, her gut feeling signaled that something wasn’t right and pushed further for tests. Results eventually revealed that the mom-of-five from The Oaks in Sydney, Australia had cancer in her tonsils, the base of her tongue, and her left lymph node, caused by HPV (Human Papillomavirus).
Jo Murray’s concerns got dismissal, but further tests eventually revealed she had stage-three throat cancer.
HPV is recognized as a common sexually transmitted infection that shows no symptoms and goes by itself. But medics have claimed that the infection could be responsible for almost all cases of cervical cancers and 60% of throat cancers. “I read about HPV afterward, and I found out that people don’t talk about it because it is passed on sexually. Sex is not something we should be ashamed to talk about.” Murray told the Camden Advertiser.
Cancer spread through the 46-Year-Old tonsils, the base of her tongue, and her left lymph node, caused by HPV (Human Papillomavirus).
The 46-Year-Old explained how she felt enraged when the first doctor had said she was fighting off an infection. She added: “I was angry and unsure why. I just knew it wasn’t an infection, and I knew something wasn’t right. At that exact moment, the only word that came into my head was death because I had lost relatives to cancer. Then I just felt numb. I was numb to it all.”
Murray, pictured with her mom, calls for more awareness on HPV and just not AIDS or Herpes.
Thankfully, Murray was given the all-clear in August 2020, and now, she’s campaigning that there should be a lot of awareness around HPV and just AIDS and Herpes. She equally urged people to get a second or third opinion and listen to their bodies. However, she will be hosting her first Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea to raise awareness and money for the Cancer Council.
