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Cindy Burner: I have no family history of colon cancer. I went in 2014 for just a routine exam, and my doctor at that time said Cindy, you're 50, you know what that means. And so I scheduled my screening colonoscopy. 

Dr. Charles Friel: The goal of the colonoscopy is to identify any abnormal growths. The most significant growth would be, in fact, the cancer. In an ideal world though, we'd find other abnormal growths that are called polyps. Polyps are also abnormal growths that can grow up to be cancers. The sad thing about most cancers is that we actually can cure almost all cancers if we can find them early enough. 

Cindy Burner: Oh gosh, you don't even know that you're having the procedure. I mean, you just take a little nap and you wake up and it's over. I mean, the procedure itself-- it's really the prep I think that people get a little hung up on, because the day before you know you can't eat anything. You just have liquids or Jell-o. 

Friel: The most difficult part of a colonoscopy is the preparation for it, which is the night before. We do need to have you drink a drink, which will cleanse your colon. It's critically important to do that drink well. The best colonoscopy is done in a very clean colon, and so the effort that you put into the preparation will give you a better exam. 

Cindy Burner: I just urge everybody to go and have their colonoscopy when they should. It's an easy thing to do. 

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