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November 2025
Message of Thanks from our President & Executive Director
Tricia Laursen
As we head into Thanksgiving, I’ve been thinking about the moments that truly change lives—and how often they begin with someone like you. Your advocacy, your generosity, and your belief in our patient-powered movement that is empowering people to act early and save their own lives—you are the driving forces behind every life we’re able to impact at DetecTogether.
More people are speaking up when something feels off. More families are getting answers sooner. And more stories are ending in survivorship. That is no small thing.
Thank you for standing with us, for fueling this mission, and for helping us reach those who need it most. I’m deeply grateful for all you make possible, and I’m inspired by what we will continue to accomplish together.
Wishing you and your loved ones a healthy, hopeful, and restorative holiday.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Tricia
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Why November is When We Ignore What Our Bodies Are Trying to Tell Us?The Silent Symptom Season
As the year winds down, most of us shift into holiday mode. We start thinking about travel, menus, gifts, and the cousin who always brings a surprise plus-one. What don’t we think about? Our own health.
November quietly becomes what we call “The Silent Symptom Season”—the time of year when people are most likely to ignore or explain away new or persistent symptoms. Stress, travel, cold weather, rich foods… it all makes a pretty convenient buffet of excuses.
But here’s the truth: the body doesn’t care that your calendar is full. And symptoms don’t take the holidays off.
Health communications research shows that people delay care more in November–January than almost any other time. The reasons are familiar:
- “I’ll deal with it after the holidays.”
- “It’s probably just stress.”
- “I don’t want to be dramatic.”
- “I don’t have time.”
A simple way to take control during the holiday season: Use 3 Steps Detect®. This season, those steps matter even more.
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What If the Thing You Dread is Exactly What You Can Change? Life of a firefighter
Lt. Brian Kyono shares his emotional story—hitting the heart of our mission at DetecTogether.
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When Lung Cancer Is Found Early, Lives Change. Here’s How We Make That HappenIn the U.S. alone, lung and bronchus cancers remain the deadliest of all cancers, according to the CDC.
Even more sobering: people whose cancer is caught early have a significantly higher chance of surviving long-term — yet fewer than one in four are diagnosed at a “localized" early stage.
That’s where DetecTogether steps in. By focusing on awareness, education, and early-detection strategies — including actionable guidance for high-risk individuals — we help turn the annual stats into real stories of hope. Together, we can help move more people into treatment sooner, when survival odds are strongest.
Lung cancer often whispers before it shouts. Some early and persistent health changes that should prompt attention include:
- A cough that doesn’t go away or gets progressively worse over weeks
- Shortness of breath from everyday activities that didn’t used to cause it
- Chest discomfort or pain, especially when breathing deeply, laughing, or coughing
- Repeated respiratory infections, such as bronchitis or pneumonia
- Unexplained fatigue or a noticeable drop in energy
- Hoarseness or voice changes that linger
- Coughing up small amounts of blood, even just streaks
- Unintentional weight loss without changes in diet or activity
These symptoms don’t automatically mean cancer — far from it — but they are the kinds of persistent changes worth recognizing, recording, and reporting. That’s the heart of 3 Steps Detect®.
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What No One Tells You About Early Detection Real-talk on cancer
Brown & Brown’s Dr. Louise Short sits down with our own Tricia Laursen, President & Executive Director of DetecTogether, for an honest look at what really moves people from “I know cancer is common” to “I’m taking action today.”
Expect eye-opening insights, surprising truths, and practical steps you can use immediately—because knowing the signs earlier saves lives.
Don’t miss the webinar everyone will be talking about.
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Your Chance to Save a Life Just DoubledA Family’s Gift. A Community’s Power. A Lifesaving Opportunity.
The Davin Family has generously given a special $10,000 challenge to DetecTogether to advance a world where more people survive cancer — early and often.
Mark your calendar for GivingTuesday on December 2nd to make DetecTogether your early detection charity of choice to save more lives.
Your gift will help someone take the 3 Steps toward timely life-saving healthcare.
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DetecTogether & Boston Scientific Partner with Purpose
Tackling next-level efficacy
We’re excited to share that Boston Scientific is partnering with DetecTogether on a fully pro bono project. They are lending the expertise of their leadership team to help us leverage key health claims datasets that can directly affect our 3 Steps Detect® participants.
Their team believes deeply in our mission to save lives through early cancer detection, and they’re investing their time and talent to help us understand the patterns, barriers, and opportunities that shape real-world outcomes.
If you or your employer—whether in healthcare, insurance, municipal leadership, or education—would like to share the metrics that matter most to your workplace, high school, or firehouse, we’d love to hear from you.
Together, we can turn data into more lifesaving action.
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Veteran's Day Solute
Honored our very own
On Veterans Day, we honored the courage, sacrifice, and resilience of all who have served our country, including one of our own, Ginny Allaby, U.S. Army Veteran and DetecTogether's Vice President of Development.
Every day, Ginny continues her service in a different way: by helping fuel DetecTogether’s patient-powered movement to redefine the individual's role in early detection— empowering people to act early and partner with their doctors to get the best health outcomes for families across the country.
If you or your company want to make a tangible impact by helping more people detect cancer earlier—when it’s most treatable—connect with Ginny. Your support directly drives the education, outreach, and lifesaving tools that help people get diagnosed sooner and get back to living their lives fully.
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Under the Hood of Early Detection
We teamed up with Wagner Motors to deliver more than a safety talk—the skills to catch cancer early and improve health outcomes before small problems turn into "full rebuilds."
Multiple shops, packed sessions, sharp questions. Real skills. Real confidence.
Huge thanks to the Wagner Family for making early detection part of their culture. We’re proud to partner with a team that looks out for one another—and we can’t wait to come back.
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DetecTogether Charity Athletes Raise $25K for Early Detect at NYC Marathon
Because early detection starts long before the finish line.
This year’s NYC Marathon charity team is fueling a patient-powered movement that's increasing early diagnosis—when survival odds are highest.
Every dollar our athletes raise supports practical, proven 3 Steps Detect® for early detection.
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Detective BrianColon cancer
"DetecTogether's training at our police department played a crucial part in why I even went in for my colonoscopy".
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Your cancer diagnosis experience can help others detect cancer early. Consider sharing it to raise awareness and save lives.
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Our donors' generosity makes our educational programs possible. Please consider making a gift today.
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