{"id":25878,"date":"2019-08-09T10:10:22","date_gmt":"2019-08-09T16:10:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=25878"},"modified":"2026-04-02T15:12:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T21:12:23","slug":"cervical-cancer-survivor-enjoys-lifes-simple-pleasures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/cervical-cancer-survivor-enjoys-lifes-simple-pleasures\/","title":{"rendered":"Cervical cancer survivor enjoys life’s simple pleasures"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

It\u2019s an unusually cold morning in June, a foggy day when it feels more like winter than spring. It makes no difference to Amber Appleton. She\u2019s with her children, Phynn, Everly\u00a0 and Tanner, at Fox Run Park in Black Forest.<\/p>\n

\"Amber
Amber Appleton found out she had cervical cancer while pregnant with her daughter, Everly. Photos by Mark Reis.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Amber smiles as the children play, zig-zagging through a thicket of trees in a game of Hide and Seek with their siblings and dad, Greg. The game doesn\u2019t last long before Phynn takes off in a full sprint for the nearby playground. With Spiderman qualities, he scurries up the ladder then cruises down a slide.<\/p>\n

This is the kind of day that Amber lives for, one filled with the simple pleasure of watching her children frolic as if they had Red Bull for breakfast. (They didn\u2019t.)<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t expect anything extraordinary after this,\u2019\u2019 she said. \u201cI just want to live and enjoy the simple things.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Cervical cancer while pregnant<\/h3>\n

A little more than two years ago, Amber committed to taking the high road and giving back to others whenever she could. At eight months pregnant with Everly, now 2, a doctor discovered something he didn\u2019t like and sent her to Dr. Dirk Pikaart<\/a>, a gynecologic oncologist at the UCHealth Cancer Center – Memorial Hospital Central<\/a>. Tests confirmed cervical cancer, which is often found when women seek care for pregnancy because a pap smear is included during a prenatal visit.<\/p>\n

Then 35, Amber was in such shock when she received the cervical cancer diagnosis that she didn\u2019t leave the doctor\u2019s office for the next six hours. She had so many questions. No. 1, of course, was whether her baby would be born healthy. No. 2, would she live?<\/p>\n

\"Amber
Amber Appleton with husband, Greg, and children, Phynn, Everly and Tanner.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWhen I sat down with them, it was if I was the only patient that day, and they weren\u2019t going to leave the room until they could get a sense that I was ready to leave. They were great, their attentiveness and their attention to detail. It was very helpful,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n

With terrific support from her husband and her mother, Amber managed a tsunami of emotion. She focused on her health and that of her unborn child. She had one plan: \u201cI\u2019ve got to do everything possible to make sure that she gets into this world healthy and that I live so that I can take care of her. And so I did.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe waited to seek out treatment until after she was born because I was so close. They were just going to keep a close eye and monitor me until she was born,\u2019\u2019 Amber said.<\/p>\n

Pikaart said many women delay treatment of cancer during a pregnancy to save their child.<\/p>\n

“There’s a growing body of evidence that if done carefully with proper guidance from a gynecologic oncologist, the pregnancy can be saved with little risk to the mother and baby,” Pikaart said.<\/p>\n

A healthy baby girl<\/h3>\n

Four weeks later, Everly was born healthy. Amber, though, had taken a turn. The tumor, small only a month earlier, had grown to the outside of her cervix. She had a radical hysterectomy. A few weeks later, tests showed the cancer had spread to a lymph node.<\/p>\n

“Cancers can grow at different rates so waiting involves close monitoring to make sure there is no significant progression while the baby matures to a safe gestational age to deliver. Many cancer treatments including surgery and chemotherapy can be administered to pregnant mothers with no harm to the baby if done properly at the right time during pregnancy,” Pikaart said.<\/p>\n

After delivering Everly, Amber felt that cancer dictated her life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had to get into treatment, which was devastating to me because I couldn\u2019t be a normal mother to her. I couldn\u2019t nurture the same. I couldn\u2019t breast feed because I had to quickly get on medications and do all kinds of testing,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n

\"Amber
Amber Appleton enjoys time at Fox Run Regional Park.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pikaart prescribed chemotherapy and radiation, a regimen that left her worn out. Her husband and mother scrambled to keep up with the everyday needs of the family. Though her energy was depleted, Amber vowed to fight. And she made a promise to herself. If she lived, she vowed to give back to those who had helped her and to reach out to other women who were facing cervical and other gynecological cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll I could think about were the simple things that I want to do with the kids like go to the park. I wanted to hold Everly. All I could think about was my daughter. I want to see her get married. Throughout it all, I kept telling myself, \u2018I will not take myself for granted. I\u2019ve got to get through this. I didn\u2019t have these children to have them grow up without a mother.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

A mother’s love<\/h3>\n

Amber\u2019s mother was unwavering in her love for her daughter and granddaughter. She got up every two hours in the middle of the night to feed Everly. Most nights, Amber did not have the strength to get out of bed, let alone hold her newborn. One night, as she lay in bed, she heard Everly crying. Her mother, drained by lack of sleep, was exhausted. After hearing her baby cry, Amber mustered the physical strength she needed to get out of bed and feed Everly. She admits she was only going through the motions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember getting up, and I had no emotion, no empathy, no anything for her. My brain was even numb. Chemo does some pretty nasty things to you. When you are so numb and your body has literally defeated you and you feel like, \u2018Guess what? You are no longer in control.\u2019 I was in a very dark place. And as a new mother, it was killing me inside but I just didn\u2019t know how to fight it.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Two years later, Amber draws on her memory of that night to help other women who are battling gynecologic cancer. Now cancer free, she has become one of the regional spokeswomen for a group called Cervivor<\/a>, a nonprofit organization that brings cervical cancer survivors together and helps to spread awareness, educate and support.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Amber
Amber Appleton plays a game of hide ‘n seek with her daughter, Everly.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Amber leads a support group at UCHealth for patients diagnosed with obstetrical cancer. The group meets every month, offering patients an opportunity to share their sisterhood, ask questions and learn from each other. Topics range from diet and exercise to emotional well-being. Clinicians offer tips and education about the cancer journey.<\/p>\n

Pikaart said that patients going through a stressful diagnosis need proper support as much as proper treatment.<\/p>\n

“Family, friends, pets and medical teams are important parts of this support. The patients all play a mind game and go through a lot psychologically. Let’s face it, the mind is a powerful thing and positive thoughts can help patients as much as negative thinking can hurt them,” Pikaart said.<\/p>\n

Amber finished her treatment in July 2017. Admittedly, she said, she was in the worse shape of her life, mentally and physically. She\u2019d gained 80 pounds, which she has since lost.<\/p>\n

\"Head
Dr. Dirk Pikaart is a gynecologic oncologist at UCHealth Memorial Hospital. Photo by UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIn the last year and a half, I\u2019ve gotten back to running, which I really enjoy. I got back to doing what I like to do. Then I began advocating and talking about the resources that are out there and the help and support that is available,\u2019\u2019 she said. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing how much is out there.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Two key messages<\/h3>\n

In talking with other women, she has two key messages for others. The first is a reminder for women to take care of themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cA woman must advocate for her body. Advocate for yourself. Looking back in my life, I feel like there are moments when I could have been more diligent. And that\u2019s a story I hear a lot \u2013 I didn\u2019t go to the doctor. Women tell me they put their families or their work first and their health was not a priority,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n

The second lesson, she said, is for parents to make sure their children get the HPV vaccine.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would have never had this cancer if I had had the vaccine. It wasn\u2019t around then \u2013 I didn\u2019t have that privilege. But now parents can do something about it for their children,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n

Amber sees Dr. Pikaart every three months. She is doing well physically and emotionally. She\u2019s kept her promise to always seek the high road and to help others.<\/p>\n

Whenever she can, she takes her kids to a park.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s an unusually cold morning in June, a foggy day when it feels more like winter than spring. It makes no difference to Amber Appleton. She\u2019s with her children, Phynn, Everly\u00a0 and Tanner, at Fox Run Park in Black Forest. Amber smiles as the children play, zig-zagging through a thicket of trees in a game […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":25879,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[28,217,2786],"class_list":["post-25878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-innovative-care","tag-cancer-care-oncology","tag-oncology","tag-uchealth-memorial-hospital-central"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCervical cancer survivor enjoys life's simple pleasures - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Amber Appleton, a mother of three, found out she had cervical cancer while she was pregnant with her daughter, Everly. 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