Woman Claims She Got HPV-related Cancer After Nail Salon Visit

A California woman is speaking out after a routine manicure resulted in her developing an infection that turned into a form of cancer that can be cured, especially when caught early..

Grace Garcia shared her experience on social media last month.

"It all started w/Mani/Pedi that went wrong! Nail tech cut me with unsterilized tools! which within 6 months turned in to CANCER!!" she captioned her TikTok post.

Garcia told "Good Morning America" her ordeal first started in November 2021, when she went to get a manicure ahead of Thanksgiving. It was supposed to be like any other manicure appointment she'd been getting for the last two decades but it turned out different this time.

"It seemed harmless until it wasn't," Garcia said.

"As the technician was cutting my cuticle, she cut me," she recalled. "It was a deep cut and I remember being very upset about it."

A few days afterward, Garcia said she thought the cut on her ring finger had started to heal but it still felt unusual.

"It felt as if I couldn't bump my finger into anything," the mom of three said. "I couldn't use it. I couldn't type well. It felt tender to the touch."

For months, Garcia said she dealt with the pain and followed up with her doctor. Then, in April 2022, about five months after she first received the cut, Garcia was referred to UCLA Health dermatologist Dr. Teo Soleymani for a biopsy.

"It came back as a squamous cell carcinoma, which is a very common form of skin cancer," Soleymani told "GMA" of the biopsy test result. "But interestingly ... she didn't have any of the traditional signs ... hers was HPV-driven. And it's an interesting thing to see."

HPV, or human papillomavirus, is a common virus, one that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say "nearly everyone" will get "at some point in their lives." The CDC estimates over 42 million Americans currently live with some form of HPV infection and approximately 13 million will get infected with HPV each year.

Some strains of HPV can also lead to cancer, such as genital, head or neck cancers, while others can cause warts on various parts of the body. Most HPV infections will not lead to cancer.

The virus is spread through skin-to-skin contact or skin-to-mucosa contact. In very rare cases, contaminated equipment has been thought as a possible means of transmission for the virus.

"Grace had a very obvious injury that allowed a portal of entry for the higher risk strain to kind of get in there," Soleymani said. "The reason we don't see it in places like our hands or our face or anywhere where we have thick skin is generally, our skin has a top layer that's pretty protective."

HPV vaccines can prevent more than 90% of the cancers caused by HPV but Garcia had not been vaccinated prior to her diagnosis. The CDC recommends that children as young as 9 and some adults up to age 45 get the vaccine.

Soleymani said, "I think everybody should be vaccinated because it's one of the few simple ways that we can reduce cancer."

Today, Garcia is cancer-free after receiving treatment, including Mohs surgery, the same type of procedure first lady Jill Biden received last week to remove a cancerous lesion from near her eye.

People can also avoid infections by making sure tools used at a nail salon are cleaned and sanitized before sitting down for a manicure.

Thanks to Abc11 for providing us with this free information so we can find out what we don't know.

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What's A Karmic Relationship, Exactly?

You fall fast and hard for a new person. Sparks are flying. You instantly feel like you've known each other forever and want to spend every waking minute with them because they get you like no one else does. You think this new romantic flame is The One. Yet, it may be a karmic relationship instead.

These passionate and often short-term connections are meant to help you learn something. According to Megan Firester, a psychic medium and aura reader who goes by Mystic Michaela, "Karmic relationships feel like past life connections who come in to teach us a lesson and leave when the lesson has been fulfilled." Below, she shares signs that you're in a karmic relationship, how it differs from a twin flame connection, and tips on how to get out of one.

The Signs You're In A Karmic Relationship

They Surface During A Transition

Firester notes that karmic relationships often begin seemingly out of nowhere and typically during huge life transitions, such as when you decide to do self-work or after a spiritual awakening. "When navigating a spiritual awakening, we are often faced with parts of ourselves that are underdeveloped," she says. "Karmic relationships are our soul's way of creating contexts in order to nurture those into maturity." And the other person may also be going through something similar, Firester adds, so you're both "along for the ride."

You Feel Like Soul Buddies

"Karmic relationships often feel like you've known this person forever," Firester says, adding that they may make you feel validated, at ease, and at home with them. "They can feel like a best friend, a romantic interest, or a connection which is inexplicably intense." She refers to them as "soul buddies" because they are meant to help accelerate your growth and solidify the lessons of whatever it is you need to learn.

You Connect Very Quickly

Not only is the connection in karmic relationships strong, but it also forms very quickly, Firester says, which comes with its pros and cons. "You can have increased energy when they are around, and suddenly you are up to doing things and going places you normally would never go or do," she says. But, they can also be "terribly addicting," as in you only want to spend time with them and no one else. This can create negative consequences in other relationships in your life if the relationship lasts too long.

Karmic Relationship Vs. Twin Flame

There are some similarities and differences between karmic relationships and twin flames. Firester notes that both of these types of relationships tend to appear during life transitions and result in big changes. However, the difference has to do with when the relationship surfaces. "Twin flame relationships always spark a spiritual awakening, whereas karmic relationships seem to come along right after you've been awakened," she says. And, she adds that while twin flames are almost always romantic, karmic relationships may not be.

The biggest difference between a karmic relationship and a twin flame relationship is how they end and how you remember them. With twin flame relationships, Firester says they tend to feel bittersweet and painful even years later. "One song on the radio, one dream of this person, or even one mention from a mutual acquaintance can have you immediately in the same state of mind and emotions as when you were in the relationship with them," she says. On the other hand, she says, with karmic relationships, even if they were tumultuous, you’ll likely look back at them with fondness because you recognize the lessons they helped you learn.

How To Get Out Of A Karmic Relationship

While some karmic relationships can last long-term (for instance, if both partners are on the same page and continue to grow together), Firester says they are generally seasonal connections. "The point of the karmic relationship is the lesson, not the person," she says. So the way to navigate or get out of the relationship is to acknowledge the lesson you are meant to learn.

"Start seeing this relationship as a reflection of yourself, what you need in life right now, and a metaphor for what you really need to change," Firester says. "Asking yourself questions such as, ‘What major changes have I just been through, and how does this relationship in my life reflect that?’ is a great start. Reflecting and analyzing a karmic relationship will help you be the observer and less of the participant, thus giving you more control over your future actions."

If the relationship lasts longer than needed, it can become negative. "Clinging onto a karmic relationship instead of using the lessons within it to launch yourself into the next chapter are how they can become toxic," she says. "In an attempt to reshape your life, you can become dependent on these relationships to stick by you and see you through.” But, that’s not the point of these partnerships. “They were here to show you what it is you need assistance with, what you are still scared of, and in what places you need to grow."

Thanks to Elite Daily for providing us with this free information so we can find out what we don't know.

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