Heather Burcham’s Courageous Stand for HPV Vaccination
On Monday, February 19, 2007, Heather Burcham traveled to Austin to testify before the House Committee on Public Health in support of Governor Rick Perry’s executive order mandating HPV vaccination for sixth-grade girls. The 31-year-old Houston woman, diagnosed with terminal cervical cancer in April 2006, was determined to share her story despite being “totally exhausted” after waiting all day to testify. Though she ultimately had to leave before being called to speak due to her deteriorating health, Heather had made her position clear earlier at a news conference arranged by the governor’s office: “If [the vaccine] can save one child, that’s enough.” Her powerful words challenged lawmakers who were considering House Bill 1098, which would effectively nullify Perry’s mandate, with 91 co-sponsors supporting parental choice over state requirements.
Heather’s journey with cervical cancer was marked by years of misdiagnosis, with doctors mistakenly believing she had endometriosis, which tragically delayed proper treatment. By the time she testified in February 2007, the aggressive cancer had already spread to her lungs, liver, pancreas, and kidney. Despite intensive radiation and chemotherapy, Heather faced the grim reality that doctors had given her only about six months to live. On July 21, 2007—just five months after her testimony—Heather Elizabeth Burcham passed away at age 31 . A former preschool teacher and nanny who loved God and had a passion for teaching children both locally and in Mexico, she left behind her mother Hallie Andreski, her sisters Laura and Kellie, and many friends who remembered her as “a beautiful, vibrant girl”. Her memorial service was held on July 30, 2007, at Grace Community Church in Houston . Those who knew Heather recall her as “a wonderful smart women who had a good heart” whose courage in putting a human face on cervical cancer touched countless lives. Though she questioned whether her specific strain of HPV would have been prevented by the vaccine, she believed that “having at least some chance of preventing the cancer is better than having no chance at all”. As she told reporters, “If I get to reach at least one person, my life would not be in vain”.
Heather’s testimony came at a critical moment in Texas public health policy debates. While she advocated for mandatory vaccination, she also addressed conservative concerns about promiscuity, noting that parents needed to understand their children could contract HPV through rape, molestation, or other forms of skin-to-skin contact. The HPV vaccine Gardasil, manufactured by Merck, protects against four strains of the virus that cause 70 percent of cervical cancers. Though Governor Perry’s executive order ultimately faced significant opposition—including from the Texas Medical Association, which supported voluntary use but not state mandates—Heather’s brave advocacy helped ensure that the conversation about cervical cancer prevention would continue. Her legacy lives on in the lives potentially saved by HPV vaccination and in the memories of those who witnessed her courage in the face of terminal illness.
#HeatherBurcham #TexasHistory #HPVVaccine #CervicalCancerAwareness #GovRickPerry
Learn More:
- Houston Chronicle Obituary: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/houstonchronicle/obituary.aspx?pid=91362374
- Heather’s Final Message: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw65aQlyalQ
- Legislators Overturn Perry’s HPV Mandate: https://www.mmm-online.com/home/channel/texas-lawmakers-vote-to-override-governors-vaccine-order/
- CDC HPV Vaccination Information: https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/vaccines