NORFOLK, Va. — Vanessa Hill had a special bond with her grandmother, Merlice Henderson, whom she lovingly refers to as "Nana." She knew she had to make a difference after Merlice suddenly passed away after a cancer diagnosis. So she created a non-profit.
"I remember the conversations that she had with her families and friends on the porch," Hill said, "and just, her quiet style, but knowing that it came from a deep well of wisdom."
Merlice and her husband, James, attended Bethel AME Church in Hampton.
"You could certainly see their love for each other, that when you saw one, you saw the other," said Andre Jefferson, the church's pastor.
In 2010, tragedy struck. James suffered from a stroke and then shortly after, family members took Merlice to the hospital due to infrequent urination.
"She had emergency surgery and was diagnosed with stage 4 uterine cancer," Hill recalled.
"She died... two weeks after her diagnosis."
Hill said her grandfather died just 13 days later, but there were questions surrounding her grandmother's healthcare before she died that lingered.
"What the signs and symptoms could have been; what should have been known by the medical community? But also, what women should have known," Hill wondered.
Her search for answers led Hill to becoming an advocate, working as an EMT, attending public health school, and founding a nonprofit for post-menopausal women called Project Nana.
"Project Nana was really born to reduce the incident rates of late-stage diagnosis of gynecologic cancer and HIV," Hill said.
"I'm invoking her name. I'm invoking her," Hill said. "It's not just a name. It's my Nana."
The nonprofit provides access to annual health and pelvic exams, primary and gynecologic care, and self-advocacy training for women ages 55 and up.
"Instead of using 'old' or 'elder' or 'older women,' we call them seasoned," Hill said. "That gave them that sense of, 'Okay, I'm no longer in that margin. I'm no longer accepting being muted. My voice matters.'"
Project Nana also holds community health events like the Take Nana to the Doctor campaign and the Seasoned Women's Health Summit.
"We did start with the education [at the Seasoned Women's Health Summit]," Hill said. "But then, we added a mental health component where the main prompt where they had to write to is, 'Why do I matter?'"
Hill hopes it all leads to the greater care and attention that women, like her grandmother, deserve.
"The idea of how we view women with a bit of a wrinkle or some age or maybe slower in the steps is really critical to how we value her healthcare and how we value how we treat her differently," Hill said.
Project Nana's peer support advocate graduation ceremony will be held on November 19 at First Baptist Church Bute Street in Norfolk.
Hill will speak on reframing health for women ages 55 and up for TEDxMellen Street. The talk is expected to be available for viewing within the next month.
Project Nana needs your help to continue its mission. You can volunteer, donate, become a sponsor, or partner with the group.
Click here to visit Project Nana’s website.