Many of you know that I was off the
air for two months this summer.
I had a hysterectomy.
Doctors removed an aggressive fibroid
that was the size of a grapefruit.
I had some pain during the
height of the pandemic,
but like so many other women,
I just pushed right through it.
So my message to you.
Listen to your bodies and
don't delay your care.
I'm eternally grateful to my gynecologist,
who knew there was a problem before I did.
I'm lucky so many other women suffer
for decades and some almost even die.
DJ Heat is at
the height of her career,
rocking out arenas for the
Washington Mystics and Wizards to
spinning at stadiums worldwide.
The 42 year old DC native was even
named one of Washington's Tik
T.O.K Stars with more than
eight point 6000 followers.
But behind the music and infectious smile.
I just push through the pain
that pain is caused by fibroids,
non cancerous tumors that
develop inside a woman's uterus.
This show in Australia when I was DJ with my,
it was my first tour with her and this
photographer got this amazing picture of me.
With a big you know crowd,
you know that that lovely or that or photo
that that everybody dreams of having and
that every time I look at that photo,
I think about how I got terribly
sick after we got off stage.
DJ Heat was first diagnosed with
fibroids at 18. A doctor in college
told her and all she said was like,
well, this is going to get
worse as you get older.
I was like are you kidding me?
According to the White Dress Project,
70% of all women and 90% of black women
will develop fibroids in their lifetime.
Symptoms include painful periods,
heavy bleeding, enlargement of
lower ABS, frequent urination,
painful intercourse, lower back pain,
and in rare cases, infertility.
Because I almost lost
my life behind it, India
Blocker Ford is a 37 year old
mother of four in southeast.
She says she complained about her
fibroids to her doctor for two years.
It wasn't until an emergency
trip to the hospital.
But she finally got help
when I got out the car. My legs.
They like Buck then I was like.
God, please let me make it through.
The front door.
Her fibroid led to a pulmonary
embolism. A massive blood clot
that could have killed her.
They were, like you know, you won't be
fine until we get this vibrate out.
So you could have a
patient with a fibroid.
That's here subserosa,
and if it grows big enough,
it'll start putting
pressure on the intestine.
It is unclear what causes fibroids,
but research suggests genetics or hormones.
Dr Mildred Czarnowski is with the Center
for Gyne Logic on koleji and pelvic
surgery at Sibley Memorial Hospital.
My involvement with patient with fibroids.
Is either going to be patients that
perceive themselves to have a more
difficult situation, or know that
they have a more difficult situation,
such as larger fibroids or hey, I bleed a lot
or the doctor says patients who've had
previous surgeries like myomectomies,
a minimally invasive
procedure to remove the mass.
Other treatments involve birth control
or drugs to shrink the fibroid.
But for India and DJ Heat,
removing the uterus was the only option.
Now he is using her platform to
share her story and help other
women advocate for themselves.
So if a doctor tells you that
he seems to like shrug you off,
especially like black women
like they don't take our pain
and seriously, so go research,
do like I did find another doctor.
Finally found a Doctor Who listened.
Her hysterectomy is just a few weeks away.
I'm ready to be this brand new DJ heat.
After this you're gonna see me doing
cartwheels and flips and and everything. So
it's a whole new DJ heat and a whole
new you Delia healthy and whole and
we're so glad you're back. Thank you.
Best part of this journey is meeting
so many other women knowing that
you're not alone and empowering others
to take control of their health.
That's what it's all about.
What about research?
There is a proposed bill in Congress
right now that would dedicate more money.
For research, you can learn
more about the bill,
and I've even linked some of the resources
that I found helpful on all on our website.
It's one of the things you do best,
and that is advocacy.
We're so glad you're back.
D. Thank you so much.
Thank you.