Early cancer screening could save your life

None of us think we will ever be the one diagnosed with cancer. I certainly didn’t. As a busy mother of two who was always on the move, I didn’t have time to get sick. I didn’t even feel sick. However, after alarming colonoscopy results and a procedure to remove most of my colon, I was diagnosed with stage III colorectal cancer. I was only 41 years old.

After nine rounds of chemotherapy, I was deemed cancer-free. Now three years cancer-free, I volunteer with the Colorectal Cancer Alliance to raise awareness and support patients. Through the Alliance’s buddy program, I met a woman my age with the same diagnosis I had overcome.

She passed away this year, and I often think about how earlier, more accessible screening could have changed her story.

The American Cancer Society estimates that 6,160 new cases will be diagnosed in Illinois and 2,080 Illinoisans will die from CRC in 2026 alone. These statistics make CRC the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the state.

The good news is that screening saves lives. When colorectal cancer is detected early, the five-year survival rate is 91 percent. Yet among adults 45 to 54, only 36 percent are up to date on screening.

Thankfully, getting tested has never been easier. Options like the Shield blood test, the first and only blood test approved by the FDA as a primary screening option for colorectal cancer for adults 45 and older at average risk, make screening quick and easy with just a blood draw at your doctor’s office. And, in even better news, Shield was recently recommended as a screening option by the American Cancer Society in their updated colorectal cancer screening guidelines.

As a CRC survivor, I urge those at average risk for this disease to take that first step and get screened. Don’t wait until you feel sick, because I didn’t. Don’t be the one diagnosed with cancer just because you got screened too late. Getting that screening could just save your life.

Dana Borror

Crystal Lake