April is National Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Month: Why We Must Protect the Lifesaving Systems that Saved Me

by Debbie Di Donato

April is National Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Month, a time to shine a spotlight on the importance of early diagnosis, life-saving research and accessible healthcare.

For me, this month is deeply personal. I carry a BRCA1 genetic mutation, which puts me at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer. But because of federally funded research, I was able to undergo genetic testing and receive life-changing information about my health. That research and the healthcare coverage that made preventive care possible saved my life.

I'm what’s called a previvor, someone who hasn’t had cancer but takes proactive steps because of a hereditary risk. It’s a unique in-between space: not a survivor, but someone whose life is forever changed by cancer before it ever arrives. I made the decision to undergo a preventive mastectomy and complete hysterectomy with a bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, not out of fear, but out of empowerment. Knowledge gave me that power. Access to care gave me that choice.

But not everyone is so lucky.

The research that discovered the BRCA mutations and linked them to cancer risk wasn’t magic. It was publicly funded science. The health coverage that helped me take action came from policy decisions that prioritized patient care. These systems work. They save lives. But today, they’re under attack.

Cuts to programs like Medicare, Medicaid, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Health and Human Services (HHS) don’t just impact statistics on a spreadsheet. They impact real people. They affect whether or not someone can afford a mammogram, a screening colonoscopy or even get a diagnosis .

As a nurse and Patient Advocate Leader with FORCE, I’ve seen what happens when patients lose access to care. They don’t stop needing treatment, they just stop being able to afford it. This leads to delayed diagnoses, more advanced cancers and unnecessary suffering. When we gut funding for these essential services, we’re not saving money, we’re trading lives.

This National Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Month, I’m urging everyone to remember what’s at stake. We should be strengthening our healthcare system, not tearing it down. That means investing in research, protecting preventive care and making sure that programs like Medicare and Medicaid are not only preserved but expanded to meet growing needs.

Call to Action

If you believe in a future where all people can detect cancer early, access the care they need and make informed decisions about their health, now is the time to act. Contact your federal elected officials. Tell them to ensure access for all through Medicaid programs. Click here to send a pre-written message directly to your lawmaker.

Lives are on the line, including yours, your loved ones' and people like me. Let’s protect the future by standing up for healthcare and science today.

Debbie Di Donato is a nurse, BRCA1 previvor and Patient Advocate Leader with Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE). She volunteers with the Medical Reserve Corps and lives in South Toms River, New Jersey with her family. Debbie is committed to improving healthcare access, research and equity for the hereditary cancer community.