(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The American Cancer Society reported in 2024 that more than 310,000 women in the U.S. were diagnosed with breast cancer, and 16% were younger than 50 years old. Now, a survivor in Colorado Springs is sharing her story to help others.
Mary Sanchez, an active, healthy medical assistant, had no symptoms, lumps, pain, or warning signs. But in July 2023, she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer after visiting her primary care provider for an annual checkup.
“Never, never did I think that I was going to have breast cancer,” Sanchez said.
Mary, a medical assistant at Peak Vista Community Health Centers, says early detection was key in her battle with breast cancer. Now, she is encouraging others to do the same, and it all starts with a simple conversation.
“Mammograms are not comfortable,” Sanchez explained, “They’re no fun, and if I hadn’t done it, the choices wouldn’t have been mine anymore, so when I have a patient come in and I see that they have gaps in care like mammograms, colonoscopies and things like that, I talk about it.”
In 2024, Peak Vista screened more than 9,000 patients for various types of cancer across Colorado. Mary’s location, the Health Center at Academy in Colorado Springs, screened more than 1,000, which led to 114 positive diagnoses under her and her care team’s watchful eye.
Those of you who haven’t been screened and you think you should be screened and you’re on the fence, you need to get screened because something is telling you need to get screened,” Sanchez said.
Peak Vista Community Health Centers is a nonprofit Federally Qualified Health Center and a leading advocate for individuals and families with limited access to quality care in the Pikes Peak and East Central regions of Colorado. Their medical team provides patient-centered medical, dental, and behavioral health services in a collaborative team setting for people of all ages. They proudly serve over 74,000 patients through several outpatient centers in Colorado’s Pikes Peak and East Central regions.
