Lacy Hubbard, President and CEO of Elekta Foundation, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“She didn’t have symptoms.
She didn’t think screening was necessary.
And she almost didn’t come.
She finally did because a community health worker met her at church and took the time to explain why screening mattered. By then, it was already cancer.
She did not share the bad news. She was afraid of being judged by friends. She worried about how her husband might react if he knew. So she carried the news quietly, on her own.
But when I met her again, she looked healthy, confident, and bright. I asked her what had changed.
She told me it was the support around her. Because the cancer was caught early, her body responded well to treatment. What she learned about cancer and screening reached beyond her alone. In her village, cancer no longer meant death. Her family was by her side, and her friends stood close. She no longer felt alone.
Like many organizations, we conduct a year-end review. When I saw that we had screened 300,000 women in 2025, I was incredibly proud. Yet my mind went straight back to her, and to many others like her. It reminded me of how many lives we touched this year.
I feel deeply grateful for knowing these women. Listening to their stories reframed everything for me. Screening was no longer just about reach. It became a responsibility.
Exactly four years ago, I was asked to build the Elekta Foundation from scratch. At the time, I imagined programs, KPIs, and papers.
What I could not have imagined was how deeply the women we serve would shape my life, changing how I see global health and my own purpose within it.
Eliminating cervical cancer is no longer an aspiration. It is within reach when systems work, partnerships align, and communities trust the process.
Thank you to everyone who follows and supports this work here on LinkedIn. Your support truly means a lot.
Wishing you all a very happy New Year!”
More posts featuring Lacy Hubbard.