\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n \tRelated story \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tJaclyn Smith of ‘Charlie’s Angels’ Shares Her ‘Unusual’ First Signs of OCD in Childhood\t\t<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n \t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/article>\n \t \n\t\u201cIt was a little stunning to walk into this big emergency department, this incredibly immersive set, for the first time because I was only about a year since my diagnosis, maybe about six months out of treatment, when I started filming,\u201d LaNasa told People<\/em><\/a>. \u201cIt felt very real.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tInstead of suppressing those emotions, she used them to build her character. \u201cI really know what it\u2019s like to feel like that scared patient and to have a really compassionate nurse,\u201d she told the outlet. \u201cThe things that they did, the way that they spoke to me, all of those little kindnesses really mattered as a patient. So I was able to put that into Dana and play the nurse that a patient would want.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tLaNasa\u2019s journey with breast cancer<\/a> began decades before her diagnosis.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cTo be honest, I wasn\u2019t a person that liked going to the doctor,\u201d LaNasa said. \u201cBut I found out that I had dense breasts in my 30s. So because I had found out about my own risk factors, that was the thing that made me keep getting my screening every year.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tHaving dense breasts means there is more fibrous and glandular tissue than fat, according to the National Cancer Institute<\/a>. This makes it harder for doctors to distinguish \u201cnormal\u201d tissues from cancerous ones.<\/p>\n \n\tStaying on top of annual checkups paid off \u2014 doctors caught her tumor before it spread to her lymph nodes. Now, LaNasa partners with Novartis for their \u201cYour Attention, Please<\/a>\u201d campaign to encourage other women to stay proactive<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI really understand how scary it can feel to go do that,\u201d she continued. \u201cIt\u2019s super scary. But when you realize that if it\u2019s caught early, there\u2019s a 99% survival rate, that\u2019s really some of the messaging that we\u2019re trying to get out there. Early detection really can save lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"HOLLYWOOD,](\"https:\/\/www.sheknows.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-sheknows-2020\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
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\n<\/section>\n<\/p>\n\n\t\tHow Knowing Her Risk Factors Saved Her Life\t<\/h2>\n