Missing the window

Early detection saves lives when it comes to cancer.

The COVID-19 pandemic has delayed the screening process for people across the nation.

Some strong early detection saves lives when it comes to cancer.

Covid-19 has delayed the screening process for people across the nation.

Only on news 8 now ... reporter jordan fremstad tells us how missing the window could cost lives.

Isolation gives people a lot of time to themselves.

"i grew up in galesville wisconsin and i've been around here my entire life."

Mariah forster olson knows the feeling all too well.

"i work for nine different non-profit organizations."

She says you can't get used to it, but you learn to live with it.

"isolation isn't necessarily anything new for cancer patients."

She can't work a regular job because of the cancer she had.

"i was diagnosed in 1980 at the age of one."

Mariah had a tumor growing in several levels of her spine.

"wrapped around part of my heart and pushed on my lungs taking up all most the entire right side of my chest."

She was on earth 365 days and neuroblastoma had her in a fight for her life.

"most children didn't make it, and there were limited treatment options."

"i had surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, and what saved my life was probably an experimental chemotherapy protocol that i was on."

She was treated for two years.

She remembers when her battle was won.

"i got a cake and i thought it was just for my birthday but it was actually for my birthday and my last chemotherapy treatment."

She was officially cancer free at age eight.

"neuroblastoma has a really high relapse rate."

Her experience left a permanent scar.

"i have around 100 different late effects or medical conditions from the cancer and the treatments."

She has had 47 surgeries and she's at high risk for eight different types of secondary cancer.

"i have chronic excruciating pain in my back.

It gets worse as the day goes on, and that's kind of tough to deal with."

The cdc lists cancer as the second leading cause of death if the u.s. doctors at mayo clinic and gundersen health systems in la crosse say the pandemic is making things worse.

"cancers are being missed."

"a lot of the screenings just almost came to a halt in some places."

"screenings weren't available."

Gundersen cancer center director dr. kurt oettel says hospitals had to prioritize coronavirus patients.

However, people are not showing up for routine screenings even after healthcare centers opened their doors.

"we basically lost three, four, five months of just routine screening for patients."

Anxiety and fear of the virus is the main culprit.

Standup: prevent cancer foundation released a survey showing 35 percent of patients in the u.s. missed routine cancer screenings.

43 percent of americans have missed routine medical appointments.

"there's a lot of fear in our society right now."

Oettel says the ramification of missing the window identifying cancer is death.

Breast and colon cancers are at the top of the list.

"there's an anticipated probably excess of 10,000 deaths that we would see relative to those two cancers sometime over the next two to five years."

Mayo clinic health system medical oncologist dr. paula gill says cancer research was another thing put on hold.

"which is absolutely necessary.

What the national cancer institute and the fda are trying to do is they're trying to loosen some of the restrictions to make it easier to get cancer clinical trials going."

Mariah says she fell victim to fear herself.

"i found a lesion on my skin that could possibly be skin cancer."

Radiation in the past puts her at risk for skin cancer.

"i was scared to go in and get it looked at."

"i put it off for several months."

"early intervention saves lives."

"i knew that the longer i let it go the worse it could be."

"it is safe to see your doctor.

It's safe to go to a healthcare facility; we are taking all of the precautions that we need to take."

Fortunately mariah's screening revealed a false alarm.

At 41 years old she has been cancer free for 33 years.

The photos on her walls show there is always hope.

She has built a life against all odds.

"whether you get up on a day and it's sunny out, there's your positive.

Just focus for that silver lining in any situation."

In the midst of isolation there are people working to ensure no one is left alone.

This is jordan fremstad news 8 now...la crosse.

Mariah raises money for cancer research.

We have a link to her