I received my cervical cancer diagnosis in May 2010, at age 45.

A routine Pap test came back abnormal, and my local doctor wanted to do a biopsy. She changed her mind when I came in for the procedure. In just the week since I’d first seen her, my cervix had changed enough in appearance that she suspected I had cancer. She referred me to an oncologist in Tulsa, the nearest big city.

The oncologist examined me on a Wednesday...