This post has been sponsored by the Prevent Cancer Foundation
As I sat down to write this post, I have been awash in memories. My parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and friends (yes, even a best friend) who have been taken too early from various cancers. Aside from my mom (who we lost when she was only 55), none of them went for regular cancer screenings. Some of that was because they didn’t know to get screened, some because screenings weren’t something you did until it was too late. While I miss them ALL, I am grateful that in 2021 there ARE screenings available for so many cancers.
I watched my grandfather die. I remember him smoking BOTH cigarettes and cigars even after being diagnosed. By the time they told him that he had lung cancer, it was too late for him to do anything, but a lot has changed since then, and the medical community now has screenings to detect lung cancer EARLY (which means early treatment and a higher likelihood of surviving 5 or more years).
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month
One of the things that I do to stay on track with all of my health/wellness screenings is to book them during “awareness” months. They are a great reminder to MAKE THAT APPOINTMENT! During these past 2 years, some of us have gotten a little off track, but it’s time to get your lung cancer screening BACK ON THE BOOKS.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, lung cancer has had the added complication of overlapping symptoms (shortness of breath, coughing, etc.) with COVID-19. That actually REDUCED access to things like getting a CT scan, so I am asking you to join ME in getting screened yourself, and/or help your family and friends who are eligible to schedule their lung cancer screening.
There are all NEW guidelines that EXPAND screening eligibility
Take a minute to call your doctor to see if you are in the target audience for screenings. Remember that early detection SAVES LIVES, and you might be one of 15 million people who are eligible to be screened and have it covered by your insurance.
I went on a fact-finding mission and learned that
- Lung cancer is the 2nd most common cancer in both men and women (skin cancer is the 1st)
- Lung cancer accounts for about 25% of ALL cancer deaths
- More people die of lung cancer than colon, breast, and prostate cancers COMBINED
- Black and white women have lower rates than men…. BUT THE GAP IS CLOSING!
- Black men are about 15% more likely to develop cancer than white men. Most of my readers are women…so if HE won’t call and make the appointment…just, do it for him.
- You don’t have to be a smoker to have lung cancer. 10%-20% of lung cancer diagnoses are in NONSMOKERS!
The new guidelines mean more accessibility
If you are eligible (please ask your doctor), the new guidelines now DOUBLE the number of Americans who can be screened.
Just like your yearly wellness check or your mammogram
Lung cancer screenings for those in high-risk groups should be annual until your doctor thinks they are no longer necessary (because of age ranges, etc.).
We’re all friends here
And friend to friend, I’m asking you to call your doctor and ask if you are eligible for a lung cancer screening or bring it up during your next wellness check. It’s a simple question that could lead to early detection and a longer life.
- For more information visit: https://www.preventcancer.org/education/preventable-cancers/lung-cancer/LINK
