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Warning: this shows the inside of the colon during the procedure
It’s colorectal cancer awareness month (and national nutrition month, so eat your veggies!) and Early Show host Harry Smith is doing his part. He had a live colonoscopy this morning on The Early Show, and fellow hostess Maggie Rodriguez noted that “he’s the first anchor to have this done live on network TV,” as if that’s something we’d ever expect to see! In all seriousness, it’s an important health screening procedure that can save lives. Smith was accompanied to his colonoscopy by CBS Evening News anchor Kate Couric, who lost her husband in 1998 to colon cancer when he was just 42. Katie herself had a colonoscopy that was aired in March, 2000, which may have contributed to an over 20% increase in people seeking the procedure. Katie’s colonoscopy wasn’t live, though, so now we have Harry Smith making television history.

While I didn’t expect the actual colonoscopy procedure to be shown on television they did show it! I had one years ago and was blissfully unaware of anything that was going on, but Harry was conscious toward the end. He even sat up and talked during the procedure! They showed the inside of his colon while Kate Couric narrated and called it “clean as a whistle.” I’ve seen more graphic stuff on CSI, but seeing the inside of Harry’s colon turned my stomach. The doctor even showed where the blue part of his liver was visible through the colon.

Smith, 58, got a clean bill of health afterwards. I know I’m due for another colonoscopy soon and that I’ve spoken to my loved ones about getting them. By showing there’s nothing to be afraid of, Smith and Couric are doing a great service. Colonoscopies are recommended around every 10 years for older adults depending on what your doctor advises. Nearly 147,000 people were diagnosed with colorectal cancer last year and almost 50,000 people died from it. Good for Katie and Harry for raising awareness of this important procedure.

Here’s a link to the longer video of Smith’s colonoscopy prep and results. You can also learn more on CBS.com.