Getting a colonoscopy is an incredibly important medical procedure that saves tons of lives every single year. It’s considered one of the more embarrassing health matters to discuss (although it shouldn’t be), but thankfully there are some people doing the work to get rid of that stigma.
One of those people is Ryan Reynolds, who recently recorded his journey getting a colonoscopy.
Ryan Reynolds recently lost a bet.
During his journey to becoming the co-chairman of the Welsh football club Wrexham AFC, he made a bet with the other co-chairman, fellow actor Rob McElhenney.
Reynolds didn’t believe that McElhenney would learn Welsh. They gave the bet a year, and lo and behold, McElhenney learned more than enough Welsh to school Reynolds with.
The stakes? Reynolds filming himself getting a colonoscopy.
Not only filming it but posting it to YouTube for the world to see.
He took it in stride though, using the situation as a sort of advocacy moment. After all, as he says, “[Getting a colonoscopy is] a simple step that could literally, and I mean literally, save your life.”
He even teamed up with the US Colorectal Cancer Alliance!
They have an initiative called Lead from Behind that encourages people to get routine colonoscopies, which Reynolds openly supported and agreed with, calling it a “necessary” procedure for everyone.
The video itself follows him as he goes to the hospital, changes into a hospital gown, and gets transported to the examination room.
Along the way, he chats with CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jonathan Lapook.
Dr. Lapook is the one who conducts Reynolds’ colonoscopy, which takes about 25 minutes.
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When it was finished, Dr. Lapook explained that he found something of concern.
Reynolds was lucky this was caught early.
“You did such a good prep that I was able to find an extremely subtle polyp that was on the right side of your colon,” Lapook shared, though Reynolds was still a little out of it.
“This was potentially life-saving for you,” he continued, “I’m not kidding. I’m not being overly dramatic. This is exactly why you do this, [because] you had no symptoms.”
Reynolds, understandably, is incredibly grateful.
“Thank you so much for this,” he says, “seriously, thank you for pushing me to do this.”
Lapook was able to remove the polyp right then and there, proving the efficacy and importance of getting these checks done.
It’s amazing that a lost bet might have saved his life!
“You are interrupting the natural history of a disease… that could have developed into cancer and [caused] all sorts of problems,” Lapook explained.
So let this serve as a reminder, if you’re due for a colonoscopy, just do it!
h/t: Honey Celebrity
