Let's talk about Erin Andrews, the amazing sportscaster who's followed her mom's footsteps when it comes to annual doctor visits. Now, Erin's no stranger to a hectic schedule, covering NFL games and hosting Dancing With the Stars, but she still prioritizes her yearly checkups, including her gynecological exams. And boy, am I glad she does. In 2016, one of those routine visits ended up saving her life.

Here's the story: Erin got a text from her gynecologist on a Saturday. Yeah, you know it wasn't good news when a doctor sends you a message on a weekend. She was in NYC working on an NFL assignment, but guess where she was when she got the call? The nail salon. And just like that, her manicure turned into a moment of life-changing news. Her doctor told her she had cervical cancer.

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Did you know cervical cancer is PREVENTABLE? It starts with going to your doctor for an annual exam. I need your help to #ChangeThisSTAT! Link in bio 👆 #AD
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Erin walked out of the salon crying. She couldn't even focus on her nails anymore. She immediately called her husband and parents, and they all got on the phone together. They sprang into action, asking, "What do we do next?" Erin admitted she had a couple of days where she felt sorry for herself, but she quickly moved on to figuring out the next steps. In her case, that meant undergoing a couple of surgeries. Missing football games and Dancing With the Stars wasn't ideal, and neither was surgery, but with the support of her family and friends, she did what she needed to do, and that's why she's still with us today. "I’m always hesitant to say I’m fine because I don’t want to jinx it," Erin said. "But it’s been a year, and my checkups have gone well."

Erin's Mission to Help Other Women

(Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Now, Erin wants to take her experience and turn it into something positive for other women. She started opening up about her diagnosis in January 2017, and she recently partnered with Hologic, a medical technology company focused on women's health, to encourage women to visit the doctor for annual checkups.

The Importance of Prevention

Together, Erin and Hologic have launched ChangeThisStat.com to raise awareness that cervical cancer is both preventable and treatable. But if women don't go to the doctor to get checked out, the consequences can be dire. Erin was shocked when she found out months after her surgeries that every two hours, a woman dies from cervical cancer.

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"Nothing hit me more — besides hearing that I had it — than hearing the stat," Erin said. But that's not the only alarming statistic about cervical cancer. Every year, 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer in the US, and 4,000 women will, unfortunately, die from the illness, according to gynecologist Jessica Shepherd, MD. "It’s so important that she shares this story because she’s here today," Dr. Shepherd said of Erin. "She’s able to share that story because she went to her doctor every year. She obviously had cervical cancer, but she got it treated and she’s here."

Though the stats are still alarming, they've decreased significantly over the decades, thanks to the development of the pap test. Studies show that between 1955 and 1992 alone, the incidence and death rates of cervical cancer in the US declined by more than 60 percent — largely due to advancements in medicine over time. By continuing to raise awareness about prevention and treatment, we can reduce the numbers even further.

Why Women Should Get Screened

Dr. Shepherd emphasized that getting a pap smear is key for screening because many women don't experience symptoms from cervical cancer. When pathologists look at these cells under a microscope, they can identify precancerous or cancerous cells. Scary enough, women who do have symptoms from cervical cancer — like watery, runny discharge or irregular bleeding — usually have late-stage cancer.