Colonoscopy awareness was front of mind during the newest season of Netflix reality show “Love is Blind” thanks to contestant Taylor Hastings, according to a March 27 report from local NBC affiliate KARE.
Ms. Hastings is also an endoscopy nurse at M Health Fairview in Minneapolis, and during her 1-on-1 dates on the hit show, she made a point of asking the male contestants if they had ever had a colonoscopy.
Her main goal is to end the stigma around colon cancer screening and encourage others to talk about it publicly.
While the American Cancer Society recommends patients begin undergoing regular colonoscopies at 45, Ms. Hastings, 33, has already had three due to family history of colon cancer.
A 2024 study found that in people ages 20-24, GI cancer cases increased by 185% from 0.7 per 100,000 people to 2 per 100,000 between 1999 and 2020.
The star joins a long line of celebrities who have publicly advocated for colorectal cancer screenings.
News anchor Katie Couric began the trend, undergoing a colonoscopy live on television in 2000 after losing her first husband to colon cancer. In 2019, she underwent another public colonoscopy with her current husband at New York City-based NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell.
In recent years, a number of big name personalities have publicly documented their colon cancer screenings, including Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, actor, host and former NFL player Terry Crews, model and television personality Chrissy Teigen, news anchor Gayle King, social media personality Dave Portnoy and actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
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