This post is sponsored by Prevent Cancer Foundation. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The pandemic has been a once in a lifetime (hopefully) experience that’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. Throughout the past year, many of us have missed out on so many different things in an effort to take precautions and prevent additional spread of COVID-19. From in-person school, to birthday parties, to the simpler things such as heading to the movies or out to dinner, many aspects of our lives were on pause or postponed. While many of us were focused on those things, there’s another issue that many have completely forgotten about: routine cancer screenings and medical appointments.

One of the most troubling trends due to the changes of the last year is that more than half of American adults who had an in-person appointment scheduled have missed, postponed or cancelled routine medical appointments because of COVID-19*. These appointments and screenings are so important, and medical professionals fear that we will face a future cancer crisis due to late-stage cancer diagnoses.

Our family also fell into this trend. At the height of the pandemic, many of our routine well visits and health screenings were scheduled. So much was still unknown at that time, and while we were trying to muddle through the information about what was safe or risky, we postponed them, like so many others. It wasn’t until we had a reminder call from one of our doctors’ offices that I realized we hadn’t rescheduled them. As someone who highly values preventive health, I was almost embarrassed and surprised that we had forgotten so many important appointments and was so grateful for the reminder.

Your health deserves action and it’s so important to get back on the books! Screening saves lives by detecting issues early (sometimes before you have any symptoms). This is your reminder to reschedule these important appointments and cancer screenings today (many offices make it easy to schedule online now, too) and to make your health a priority! While you’re at it, remind a few friends and loved ones to do the same!

We’ve fully caught up now, or at least have gotten back on the books to get back on track with our medical appointments and screenings. Routine health screenings, such as mammograms, Pap tests, colorectal cancer screenings, Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) tests, lung cancer screenings, skin checks, dental appointments, and HPV vaccinations for kids are absolutely lifesaving and necessary for preventing cancer deaths. In 2020, more than 600,000 people died from cancer. About half of these cancer deaths are preventable. In the past year, screenings are down dramatically:

  • Screenings for breast cancer dropped 94%
  • Screenings for colon cancer dropped 86%
  • Screenings for cervical cancer dropped 94%

These screenings are so incredibly important to detect cancer as soon as possible. The earlier that cancer is detected, the more options there are for treatment and the better chances for survival.

While some people are nervous about visiting their doctors’ offices while COVID19 is still active in our communities, health care providers are taking so many precautions to keep everyone safe. If you have questions, reach out to your office to learn more about their procedures and what precautions they are taking.

Your health deserves action and it’s so important to get back on the books! Screening saves lives by detecting issues early (sometimes before you have any symptoms). Reschedule today to get back on the books and in the door for your routine cancer screenings!

(*December 2020 Survey)

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