By Victoria Durgin, Asst. Digital Media Editor
Susquehanna students had the chance to watch a documentary on the impacts of HPV-related cancers on five women in Degenstein theater on March 3.
The screening of Someone You Love: the HPV Epidemic was co-sponsored by the Health Center and the Panhellenic Council in partnership with Senior Advancement Officer Chris Markle.
The April screening also marks the beginning of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) month.
Panhellenic Council President Julia Gagnon said she saw the screening as a chance to educate Susquehanna students.
For executive producer Cheryl Staurulakis, the film and any screening of it are a chance to share information and ultimately cure cancer.
“If we can get six cancers off this planet, I think we should,” Staurulakis said in question-and-answer session after the film.
Staurulakis also has a personal connection to Susquehanna: her son Nick Staurulakis graduated from the university in 2016.
Before the film began Sonia Dayal, the lead medical provider at the Student Health Center, presented information on the human papillomavirus (HPV), vaccines and the possible consequences of both.
The film itself told the stories of five women, all of whom developed cancers from their personal exposures to cancer-causing strains of HPV.
The storylines alternated with testimonials from medical professionals and research scientists. The documentary also aimed to destigmatize the cancers and the virus through an examination of the cultural beliefs surrounding sexually transmitted infections.
It especially focused on how common non-cancerous forms of HPV are in adults.
“If you have HPV it doesn’t make you a slut, it just means you are a human,” one of the doctors interviewed in the film said.
Another medical expert interviewed in the documentary said almost everyone contracts HPV at some point in their lives. Most strands of the virus are not known to cause cancer and usually will heal on their own within a few weeks or months. A few strands of the virus, though, can lead to multiple types of cancers, according to the documentary.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2018 that HPV is thought to be responsible for 90 percent of anal and cervical cancers.
Some of these cancers can be treated with chemotherapy and radiation; others are fatal.
The documentary featured both survivors and victims of cervical cancers.
One of the women followed beat the cancer only to succumb to an intense form of the cancer a year later.
Others profiled in the piece survived their fights with cancer and have since become advocates for HPV education and testing. This focus on education and proper preventative care was stressed by Daval and Staurulakis before and after the screening.
Daval advised students to get the HPV vaccine if they have not already.
According to Daval and Starulakis the vaccine is nearly 100 percent effective in preventing the strands of the virus known to cause cancer.
Both women also stressed the importance of people being educated on what HPV is and how it can impact those who have it.
Staurulakis implored the students in attendance to talk to their peers about the importance of regular pap smears and HPV testing.
Staurulakis told students they have power in what they choose to discuss, and a problem like HPV should be discussed by everyone.
According to Daval, the Student Health Center will host a free STI testing session on April 23.
If students have questions about HPV or other STIs they can contact the health center for more information.
