For thirty years, Diane Duggan lived without health insurance.

If she got sick, she went to a Minute Clinic. If she got really sick, she went to the emergency room. Preventive care simply wasn’t part of her world. It was too expensive and out of reach. “I didn’t think about mammograms or Pap tests,” she says. “You just deal with what’s in front of you and hope for the best.”

Then came a phone call that changed everything.

A staff member from Cambridge Health Alliance invited her to attend a See, Test & Treat® program, a day of free cancer screenings and health education funded by the CAP Foundation.

When she walked into the hospital that morning, she expected waiting rooms and paperwork. Instead, she was met with smiles, colorful decorations, and volunteers who treated her like family. “It was like walking into a place where people already cared about me,” Diane remembers. “It was like winning the lottery.”

That day, Diane received her first mammogram in decades. A few days later, she got a call: the screening found something. Follow-up testing confirmed early-stage breast cancer. Because of See, Test & Treat, Diane’s cancer was caught early and today, she’s cancer-free.

Behind every See, Test & Treat program is a vision; one born from compassion and family.

Sara Herbek grew up watching her father, Dr. Gene Herbek, dedicate his career to pathology and patient care. He believed that no one should die of a preventable cancer simply because they couldn’t afford screening. That belief became See, Test & Treat.

For Sara, continuing her father’s work isn’t just professional — it’s deeply personal.

“My dad wanted patients to feel seen and supported,” she shares. “He believed that access to care should never depend on your insurance status, your income, or where you live. See, Test & Treat was his way of putting empathy into action.”

Today, that legacy has grown into something extraordinary.

Since 2011, over 110 programs have connected more than 9,200 patients in the U.S. with free cancer screenings.

In the last three years alone, more than 90% of patients served were uninsured or underinsured.

And the impact?

• 18% of breast cancer screenings and 7% of cervical cancer screenings
  have led to findings requiring follow-up — meaning thousands of lives touched, and hundreds saved through early detection.

Sara says that every time she meets a patient like Diane, she sees her father’s dream in motion.

“These programs remind us what happens when compassion meets action,” she says. “When pathologists, physicians, and volunteers come together — barriers fall, and lives change.”

For Diane, See, Test & Treat gave her more than a diagnosis — it gave her time, hope, and community.

For Sara, it’s proof that her father’s legacy continues to grow stronger each year.

And for every patient who walks through those clinic doors, it’s a chance to be seen, tested, and treated — with dignity and care.

Listen to Episode 2: The Visibility Gap (Part 1) on Beyond the Test: Connecting Communities Through Pathology, the CAP Foundation’s official podcast.

Hear Diane’s journey, Sara’s reflections, and how your support makes programs like See, Test & Treat possible — connecting patients to care, and continuing a legacy that saves lives every single day.