Ryan Reynolds Finds A Very Subtle Polyp During A Life-Saving Colonoscopy
The 45-year-old Ryan Reynolds found an extraordinarily minuscule polyp while undergoing a life-saving colonoscopy along with actor and friend Rob McElhenney. The procedure was available for public viewing in a newly released YouTube video.
The coverage was part of the Deadpool actor’s support in raising colon cancer awareness. Ryan revealed that he agreed to a bet to have the procedure captured on camera and uploaded to the video streaming website if 45-year-old Rob were to learn Welsh.
Colon cancer, also called bowel cancer, begins in a person’s large intestine, and one in twenty Americans is diagnosed with it. The disease is typical in adults over 50 and starts with benign polyps. When left untreated, the polyps become cancerous.
Everybody must get regularly screened for colon cancer because there are instances where it leaves no symptoms.
The father of three told the viewers that the medical screening is straightforward and that undergoing the procedure can very well save your life. He mentioned that the colonoscopy involves checking the lower bowel and rectum for abnormalities or disease.
The doctor who performed the procedure told the Canadian-American actor that he was not being overly dramatic about describing the medical process as life-saving, and Rob and Ryan heartily agreed. The attending physician further commented that Ryan needed a colonoscopy, especially since he had no symptoms, and surprisingly, a tiny polyp was found.
After the doctor successfully removed the polyp, he said, “You are interrupting the natural history of a disease or something of a process that could have ended up developing into cancer and causing all sorts of problems.”
On the other hand, Rob couldn’t help but crack jokes about the circumstances, saying that he couldn’t resist comparing himself with Ryan. Rob joked, “They either find nothing, and that means my colon was cleaner than his, or they find a polyp, and it’s either bigger than his, which is awesome, or it’s smaller than his, which means I had less of an opportunity to have cancer — either way, I win!”
When it was Rob’s turn to have his colonoscopy, the doctor found three polyps but was certain that they were not a cause of any concern. The awareness video was made in partnership with Lead from Behind and the Colorectal Cancer Alliance.
Ryan has taken a more proactive and involved approach to some of society’s problems. Earlier this year, he also spoke about mental health challenges in an interview with Sunday Morning.
During the interview, he mentioned that he had struggled with anxiety his whole life and that there were times Ryan felt like he had two personalities, and the anxious personality took control.
The three-time People’s Choice winner and Grammy and Golden Globe Award nominee shares three kids with Blake Lively—Inez Reynolds, James Reynolds, and Betty Reynolds. The actor was last seen in the movie Red Notice, which he shared with A-list stars Dwayne Johnson and Gal Gadot.
