“A billboard saved my life.” It’s almost poetic to read, but this poetry was the reality for Denise Lee. On her daily drive to work, caught in the Bay Area traffic, she would see a billboard encouraging her to get tested for lung cancer.
Denise, a former smoker, started smoking at the age of 14. Her addiction grew over time from occasional smoking, to smoking a pack, to a pack and a half of cigarettes a day. She tried many times to quit but was repeatedly unsuccessful. At the age of 56, she tried once more, and this time was successful. Still, every time Denise saw that billboard on her drive to work, something inside of her stirred.
After several months of seeing the billboard, Denise requested the low-dose CT scan from her doctor at her annual physical exam. “I went to SavedByTheScan.org and took the lung cancer screening eligibility quiz. From that quiz, I knew I was high risk and I wanted to be tested,” Denise said. After completing her physical, Denise’s doctor let her know that she didn’t need to complete the low-dose CT scan at this time. Denise, although a bit uneasy about this reply, obliged and left the hospital.
Soon after her annual check-up, Denise came down with a cold. She was gearing up for a vacation and didn’t want to travel while feeling under the weather. Instead of risking her health on an airplane, she made an appointment to see her doctor once more. While receiving treatment for her cold, Denise mentioned to her doctor, again, that she
