Chadwick Boseman’s death came as a shock to the world. He had many fans, as made clear when the announcement of his passing on his Twitter account became the most retweeted post ever.

Boseman was only 43 and died of colon cancer.

He was very young to have been afflicted with colon cancer, so it would have been unusual if he had gotten a colonoscopy before his symptoms arose. But for those of us over age 45, or with a family history of colon cancer, it’s a huge mistake to put it off.

Colonoscopies’ reputation causes some people to not have the procedure, and that can have deadly consequences. The prep is annoying, but it’s not horrible, and the procedure itself is painless, with most people describing it as a nice little rest.

The New York Times published this piece after Boseman’s passing: What to Know About Colon Cancer. I recommend you read it and, even more so, if you are a candidate for the procedure, I recommend you schedule your colonoscopy right away.

Be well,

David