As a two-time breast cancer survivor — 27 years the first time, 19 years the second — I know firsthand that early detection saves lives. Both of my cancers were found through routine mammograms. I had no symptoms. I felt no lump. I simply kept my yearly appointments, even when life was busy or when fear whispered that it might be easier not to know. Showing up is the reason I am still here.

What continues to surprise me, even now, is hearing during my recent mammogram that in this day and age technicians still see far too many women who skip their screenings or come in only after symptoms appear. With all we know, with all the advances in care, with all the stories like mine, it is heartbreaking that preventable late diagnoses are still happening.

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