There are moments in life that divide everything into "before" and "after."
For my family, that moment came during what should have been an ordinary afternoon. I was helping my sister move into her new home when my mom called. She had just been released from the emergency room, where doctors had confirmed she had stage IV colorectal cancer (CRC).
This is not something that you plan for. There had been no warning, no obvious signs that something was terribly wrong and no symptoms that made us believe cancer was quietly growing inside her body. Yet, in an instant, everything changed.
Like so many families, we assumed that if someone had cancer, they would know it. Instead, we learned one of the cruelest truths about CRC: it can develop silently for
years before symptoms ever appear. By the time my mother's cancer was discovered, our options were heartbreakingly limited.
These realities are shown throughout Texas, where this year alone, 13,310 Texans are estimated to be diagnosed with CRC, and 4,750 are projected to lose their lives to this disease. It remains the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Texas, despite having a 91% five-year survival rate when caught at an earlier stage.
These disparities are not just statistics. These are neighbors, friends, mothers, fathers and grandparents. They're families whose lives will never be the same.
Today, I often wonder what our lives would look like if my mother’s cancer had been found earlier. This question has driven me to enact change in our community of El Paso, where I work to provide families and individuals with the tools they need to get screened.
As the local event director for the Get Your Rear in Gear 5K in El Paso, I am able to transform my family's loss into something that could save someone else's life. Bringing this event to El Paso isn't simply about organizing a race, it's about making sure families understand the importance of following through with recommended screening, before symptoms appear, creating a community of support for patients and caregivers and giving people the information my family wishes we had sooner.
My mother’s infectious laugh is something that I miss every day, and I know that she would be incredibly proud to see El Paso joining communities across Texas in raising awareness about CRC. She would want people to have the opportunity she never had and ensure that families do not have to experience the same loss.
Recently, my mother’s name was included in a new video from Guardant Health memorializing people lost to colorectal cancer and encouraging others to get screened. Seeing her name there was deeply personal. It was a reminder that behind every statistic and every screening recommendation is a person who was loved and a family still carrying their memory forward. For me, it was also a reminder that awareness is not abstract. It is an act of love.
The encouraging news is that we have more tools than ever before to detect CRC more quickly and easily.
With the screening age now beginning at 45, Texans should know their options. While colonoscopies remain the gold standard, there are now quick and easy options like Shield by Guardant Health, the first blood test approved by the FDA as a primary screening option for CRC for adults 45 and older at average risk. This test is just a blood draw that can be completed in just a few minutes at your doctor’s office. The Shield test is also recommended by the American Cancer Society (ACS) as part of its recently updated colorectal cancer screening guidelines.
No one should avoid screening because they assume it's inconvenient, embarrassing or unnecessary. And no one should wait until symptoms appear, because by then, it may already be too late.
For communities such as El Paso, increasing awareness is especially important. We know that screening saves lives, but only if people know when to get screened and feel empowered to take that first step. And with new innovative tests like Shield, honest conversations with our families and with our healthcare providers, preventive care can now become a priority instead of an afterthought.
My hope by sharing my mother’s story is that every eligible Texan takes a moment to think about their own health or encourages a loved one to do the same. Don't wait for symptoms. A simple conversation with your doctor about colorectal cancer screening could make all the difference.
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Rebecca Gutierrez is the local event director for Get Your Rear in Gear El Paso.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: OPINION: Colorectal cancer doesn't wait, neither should you, get screened
