I am sorry to hear about the untimely passing of James Van Der Beek. 48 is absolutely too young to be dying of colon cancer. As a matter of fact, no one should be dying of colon cancer. So long as it is detected early, colon cancer - and prostate cancer - is imminently treatable.
Two things have to happen. First is not wait so long to have regular colon and prostate exams. I am getting both done soon as I hit 40 solar orbits. If insurance doesn’t want to play ball, there’s way too many tele-health companies out there that will. A few hundred bucks to potentially catch a cancer early is chump change.
Second is fighting the stigma of these exams. Sure, it’s super funny to joke about taking a finger up the ass, especially for heterosexual dudes. But if that fear is preventing men from getting screened, something’s got to change. The culture must shift to where taking something up the butt isn’t a demerit against someone’s masculinity. It’s not gay, and it’s not going to turn you gay.
Given a long enough lifetime, the cancer reaper will come for us all. As us millennials age into the middle chunk of our allotted time on earth, I think there’s really no excuse not to get screened. But I get it: we feel fine now. Kicking the can down the road is too easy. Much like I don’t visit the dentist as much as I should.
But the downside of not visiting the dentist regularly isn’t potential death. If not for yourself, you owe it to your dependents to stay as healthy for as long as possible.
Grand opening, grand closing.