Success Stories

A five kilometer mountainous trek became the path to cancer prevention for a resolute Romanian woman.

The house where 40-year-old Marinela Pascalau lives with her three children and husband has no electricity or running water. The nearest village is a five-kilometer walk away. But Marinela heard about after-church health seminars at the village women's community center, and decided it was worth the monthly trip to get basic, up-to-date health information for herself and her family.

One of these U.S.-funded classes focused on the importance of early detection and treatment of breast and cervical cancers, the two major causes of death among Romanian women. As part of this session, the Romanian Family Health Initiative brought a mobile clinic to the center. A doctor from the Oncology Institute of Cluj taught the women how to perform monthly breast self-examinations, and they were given the opportunity to have tests for cervical cancer.

Marinela's test results – which revealed abnormal cells on her cervix and a lump in her breast – were sent to her family doctor, who referred her to a gynecologist. Marinela took advantage of one-on-one counseling and support through the program and worked with counselors to schedule medical visits. Within a month of her initial tests, Marinela had a procedure to remove the affected tissues on her cervix and was relieved to find that the lump in her breast was a benign cyst.

Marinela's family doctor continues to monitor her, but she still walks five kilometers every month to attend the health sessions. She has become a model for other rural women in the area: a living example of how desire and determination can lead to better health – even survival – for them and their families.

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