GREEN BAY (NBC26) — A Green Bay man says early cancer detection saved his life not once, but twice. He now encourages everyone to prioritize routine health screenings.
Michael Streckenbach worked inside the Lambeau Field mailroom at the time of his first cancer diagnosis in 2010. He was thrilled when he finished treatment in time for the Super Bowl.
There's no history of cancer in Streckenbach's family, so he was shocked to get the news of a tumorous growth in his body a second time, more than a decade later.
Streckenbach remembers the day he got the second diagnosis: "I was in urgent care and they came in, they said, 'Well, we found the problem. You have a mass in your pancreas.' And I thought, 'Again?' My attitude was, 'Well, I'm going to fight this one too because I fought the last one, and it was successful.'"
A positive attitude, a team of caring doctors and his community at home helped Streckenbach through treatment.
"The Packers organization was a tremendous support at the time, too." Streckenbach noted.
Early detection of the disease gave him the best chance of survival.
"That was the key," Streckenbach explained.
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Streckenbach's oncologist, Dr. Demet Gokalp Yasar, an oncologist and hematologist at the Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic, says routine cancer screenings are the best available tool to catch the disease early, when it's most treatable.
"We can't always control whether the cancer shows up or not, but with screening, we can often control when we find it, and then that can change everything." said Yasar.
Outside of screenings, unusual symptoms are also a sign to seek medical help.
Streckenbach is grateful doctors caught his cancer in stage one and encourages everyone to prioritize preventative care.
"Keep a strong support system," Streckenbach advises those going through treatment. "You can face anything."
Routine screenings can detect common cancers before symptoms start. The preventative measure is covered by insurance as part of an annual physical.
