Ryan Reynolds turned 45 last year.
At that age, men are advised to get screened for colorectal cancer, so Reynolds, being a responsible fellow, went and got a colonoscopy.
And he's just shared it on the internet.
Reynolds and fellow Wrexham FC owner Rob McElhenney released a video Sept. 13 with Lead from Behind, a campaign to encourage men to get screened for colon cancer.
Ostensibly because he lost a bet with McElhenney over the latter's ability to learn Welsh (which McElhenney speaks in the video), Reynolds shares his visit to a New York medical centre, where he gets a colonoscopy performed.
"We're f***ing filming it. Which is also awful," Reynolds says, discussing the procedure beforehand.
It actually turns out the trip may have caught something dangerous.
"I was able to find an extremely subtle polyp that was on the right side of your colon," says Reynolds doctor, Dr. Lapook. "This was potentially life-saving for you. I'm not being overly dramatic. This is exactly why you do this."
During McElhenney's procedure, three polyps were found and removed. His doctor notes that regular screening and surveillance are key to preventing colon cancer.
According to the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS), colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer diagnosis in Canada. It's also the second leading cause of death from cancer for men and third for women.
It's estimated 9,400 Canadians will die in 2022 from colorectal cancer. The CCS says about 1 in 14 men will develop colorectal cancer sometime in their life, and 1 in 34 will die from it.
It's also considered one of the most preventable types of cancer.
