Eileen McGill Fox says she contracted HPV from her husband, which put her at higher risk for multiple cancers
Credit: Owen McGill
NEED TO KNOW
- A Florida woman learned that her husband had cheated on her and that he had given her human papillomavirus (HPV)
- Soon after, the woman was diagnosed with cancer of the vulva, cervix and anus, which are linked to HPV
- The woman is still undergoing painful cancer treatments seven years after her initial diagnosis and is now sharing her story to spread awareness about the importance of the HPV vaccine
A Florida woman learned that her husband had cheated on her — and it led to a years-long challenging journey with multiple cancers.
Eileen McGill Fox, a school teacher and mother of four, learned that her husband of 30 years had been unfaithful, according to a profile of Fox in the Tampa Bay Times.
Fox immediately visited her health care clinic for an STI screening and was relieved to learn that she tested negative for syphilis, gonorrhea and HIV.
However, a year later, during a routine Pap smear, Fox found out she had human papillomavirus (HPV), an STI that is not screened for in basic STI exams. The virus put her at high risk for cancers of the cervix, anus, vulva, vagina and throat.
Credit: Maura Mudd
Fox was diagnosed with vulvar cancer in February 2019, then cervical cancer soon after, and she was diagnosed with anal cancer in 2023.
Fox also learned that HPV, and likely her later cancers, were preventable with the HPV vaccine, which protects against the types of HPV that cause the majority of HPV-related cancers, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
However, the educator said she hadn’t considered getting the vaccine as she was already married with children by the time it came on the market in 2006.
Since her diagnosis, Fox has had a hysterectomy and is still undergoing regular cancer treatments. She has had much of her labia removed, and she regularly has painful laser and skin removal procedures on her vulva and in her anal canal to burn away precancerous cells.
Credit: Karla Bailey
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Fox is now a patient advocate. She hopes that by sharing her story, she can help prevent what happened to her from happening to others.
“When I tell people I have anal cancer, I’m like, ‘It is what it is,’ ” Fox said while speaking to the Tampa Bay Times. “Let’s talk about vulvas and anuses and cervixes. Let’s remove the stigma and the shadow language for dealing with it.”
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“If it can happen to a married woman of 30 years, then it can happen to anybody,” she added. “I’m a mother of four, living a life of work and community service, then I find myself on the receiving end of this vicious, vicious virus.”
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