Preventing cervical cancer cases by the thousands. This CNN Hero is bringing life-saving care to remote areas of the world

"There are 350,000 women dying a painful, undignified death globally. And it's almost 100% preventable," stated Gordon, a radiation oncologist and the founder of the non-profit CureCervicalCancer.

"I came prepared with vaginal speculums and all sorts of supplies to screen women," she stated. Treatable if caught early, cervical cancer is prevalent in remote and resource-poor international locations like Senegal the place pap smears aren't available and preventative well being care is not accessible.Using a technique Gordon and others name "See & Treat," screening might be completed while not having electrical energy and with just a few transportable provides. "You spray vinegar on the cervix -- if the cervix turns a little white in a certain light, then 99% (of the patients) will benefit from treatment," Gordon stated.On their first morning of screenings, Gordon and the group of medical professionals had been in a position to detect precancerous cells in eight girls. Yet the clinic they had been visiting didn't have the mandatory machine to deal with them.Gordon had heard a rumor that an deserted well being middle might need the gear they wanted. So, she set out on a three-hour expedition to discover it."I got myself into this dusty clinic, and there's this cryotherapy gun and this CO2 tank," she stated.Gordon bought a washer required to function the machine, and with the help of some locals transported the gear again to the clinic the place the girls had been nonetheless ready. The machine labored, and the girls had been handled on the spot in a fast and easy process that destroys the precancerous cells.It was a far cry from the approach issues operated in her Beverly Hills workplace, however the expertise stayed with Gordon, whose family historical past of breast cancer is a driving drive in her work."What was so incredibly rewarding for me is that within a day, we can literally save 20, 30 lives depending on the number of women we screen," she stated. "I knew that I wanted to do this and see if I could make a go of it."Next, Gordon partnered with two different docs and traveled to Ethiopia; this time they introduced the cryotherapy gadgets with them. The outcomes had been comparable. Using primary "See & Treat" strategies, the group detected and handled dozens of girls and educated native nurses to do the identical.At the finish of that journey, the workforce left a suitcase full of provides with the educated nurses so they may take them to underserved clinics.After 27 years, Gordon left her personal apply in 2014 to dedicate all her time to CureCervicalCancer. She takes no wage.She and her group use the "See & Treat" mannequin together with what they name a "Clinic in a Suitcase" to ship screening, coaching and provides to clinics round the world. The group has since labored in 10 international locations, together with China, Haiti, Guatemala, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Vietnam.In the final 9 years, the non-profit has additionally established 106 sustainable clinics to display and deal with girls in remote and underserved areas."Most of the women that we treat live about an hour-and-a-half to two-hour walk from the clinic," she stated. "I'm always surprised when they get there that there's smiles on their faces. They're happy to be there, they don't mind waiting in line."The non-profit has screened greater than 150,000 girls and handled greater than 8,600 to date. "That there are 8,000 women who are alive and well and able to provide for their families is honestly the most rewarding thing that I could have ever imagined in my life," Gordon stated. "I think I'm the luckiest doctor that ever lived."