Sophia Bush Gets Cancer Test as Birthday Gift to Herself: 'I Wanted to Know Everything About My Own Body'
The actress said a viral illness that landed her in the hospital last year inspired her to “take more proactive control of my health”
Sophia Bush/Instagram
Sophia Bush at cancer screeningSophia Bush says she decided to “treat myself to something special, just for me” before her birthday — a full battery of medical tests, including the innovative Galleri blood test that screens for cancer.
“Instead of planning a trip or a special adventure out in the world, I decided to gift myself a journey inward,” Bush, who turned 42 on July 8, wrote in an Instagram post where she shared photos of her rigorous testing at the members-only healthcare clinic, Sollis Health. (Bush disclosed that she is a Sollis partner — meaning she was paid for the post — in a comment, and also addressed the topic of healthcare access. "Everyone deserves this!" she wrote.)
The actress, who left the production of 2:22 A Ghost Story in London’s West End last June due to a viral illness which landed her in the hospital, said that at the time, “People [were] trying convince me that it was ‘anxiety’ or ‘all in my head due to stress.’ “
“Women are ignored, demeaned, or straight up not treated because of medical bias that sees our pain not be taken seriously, and illnesses often left undiagnosed got [sic] longer, to our own detriment. And it’s even worse for women of color!” she wrote.
Related: Sophia Bush Gets Candid About Her 'Hard and Painful' Fertility Journey: 'Most Clarifying Experience'
The experience made the One Tree Hill alum “take more proactive control of my health” — especially after she said close friends experienced health scares: Her best friend’s little sister died of colon cancer at age 37, and another friend had a double mastectomy at age 42.
“I knew I wanted to know everything about my own body,” she wrote, sharing that she underwent “full labs that we took in the office, to an additional vial of blood (I didn’t pass out, please be proud) for a Galleri test to screen for 100 types of cancer," she said about the innovate blood test, which the Cleveland Clinic said can screen for up to 50 types of cancer.
Plus, Bush said, “They made me feel so empowered & gave me snacks. They helped me find in-network specialists to keep battling my asthma, to keep up the necessary PT that helps me stay on top of some stunt injuries.”
The Galleri test alone can cost up to $949 — prompting some commenters to share their disapproval of her post. "Kind of tone deaf to be posting this while much of the country is struggling to make ends meet," wrote one commenter, while another posted, “This type of care is so incredibly privileged.”
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On the subject of access, she added, “As we are all out here advocating for healthcare, and reminding you to vote like your lives depend on it (they do!) it’s really meaningful to me to meet likeminded folks to learn with, and to be walked through their plans around how to bring the best medical treatments to the masses.”
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