El Pasoan honored in cancer ad featuring actor Patrick Dempsey

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — A new national advertising campaign is urging Americans to get screened for colorectal cancer while honoring those who've lost their lives to cancer, including an El Paso woman.

The ad featuring actor and cancer advocate Patrick Dempsey aims to memorialize people who’ve lost their lives to colorectal cancer while stressing the importance of early screening.

Dempsey is known for his role as Dr. Derek Shepherd in the medical drama "Grey's Anatomy."

Diana Gutierrez was just 48 years old when she was diagnosed with stage four colorectal cancer. Her family told ABC-7 that she never experienced any common symptoms. Instead, she went to the doctor after experiencing a stomachache.

She underwent surgery and received chemotherapy treatment. In December 2022, just a little over a year after her initial diagnosis, Diana died.

Diana’s daughter, Rebecca Gutierrez, talked to ABC-7 about her mother’s journey with the disease and the new campaign honoring her memory. She described Diana as a loving mother, wife, grandmother and devoted nurse practitioner.

“She taught me how to read, how to ride a bike, how to do all the things, be a good person, be kind. She was amazing. She loved people. She loved taking care of people,” Rebecca said.

Rebecca said she wants to use her grief for good.

“I feel so trapped in this grief that I need an outlet, and it needs to be a healthy outlet,” Rebecca said.

Now, Rebecca is actively involved with the Colon Cancer Coalition. She even became the event director for a local 5K walk. She said she wants to raise awareness, support families and promote screening options.

She said her work with the coalition is what helped her get her mother’s story noticed by Guardant Health.

In the ad, Dempsey is facing a wall of names and ages of people who have died, including Diana’s.

“When I look at these names, I find it to be absolutely devastating,” Dempsey said in the video.

Rebecca immediately recognized her mother's name when Dempsey read it out.

“He says, 'Diana,' and then I'm like, you see her name. And I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, like, that's her.' All of those other names are people whose families are feeling like I do,” Rebecca added.

She said raising awareness is an act of love that she chooses to do every day.

“I hope she's proud of her family for sharing her story,” Rebecca said.

In May of 2021, the colorectal cancer screening recommendation was lowered from 50 to 45 for adults at average risk.

You can watch the ad above.