CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Renowned singer Olivia Newton-John passed away recently due to breast cancer, a disease she fought for 30 years.
At the height of COVID-19, many medical appointments were postponed and never rescheduled. Many of those included breast cancer screenings.
Now, many women are actually getting back to their doctors and their mammograms. Although October, is known for being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it's not the only time for residents to get their screenings.
Dr. David Wilson is a physician at Radiology Associates. He said that regardless of status, bodily health is something that impacts all women.
"So many women do avail themselves to take advantage of getting mammograms on a yearly basis. But we really have so many women that just ignore it until it's too late to really offer them early treatment options," Wilson said.
However, there is some good news.
Physicians at Radiology Associates are seeing an upswing of patients after the peak of the pandemic. More women are proactive instead of reactive when it comes to screenings.
"We've seen patients come in that had delayed diagnosis of cancer because they didn't get around during the COVID times to get their screening done," Wilson said. "And we're seeing a very big upswing, and people that are coming back and getting in and getting their mammograms done, which is gratifying."
Even though mammograms are not free, and there is some temporary discomfort, nothing is more important than peace of mind.
"Olivia Newton-John lived for 30 years with this and that's a remarkable story for a cancer patient," Wilson said. "We have so many good ways that we now can treat cancer and breast cancer in particular. There have been some really major advances in the treatment of patients who do have this diagnosis. So I would encourage patients take the first step, go out and get your mammogram and don't make any excuses."
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