DAK PRESCOTT JOINS RYAN REYNOLDS’ MAXIMUM EFFORT AND THE COLORECTAL CANCER ALLIANCE TO ‘LEAD FROM BEHIND’
Initiative Aims to Reduce Stigma and Educate about Screening Choices, as the Colorectal Cancer Alliance Launches a Health Equity Fund to Decrease Disparities
WASHINGTON, D.C., December 8, 2023 – NFL quarterback Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys is teaming up with the nation’s leading nonprofit dedicated to colon cancer, the Colorectal Cancer Alliance (Alliance), and Ryan Reynolds’ creative agency, Maximum Effort, to LEAD FROM BEHIND. LEAD FROM BEHIND is a series of unique and creative videos featuring celebrities in sports and entertainment spreading awareness that colon cancer is The Preventable Cancer and that there are a variety of screening options. Having lost his mother to colon cancer, Prescott joins the LEAD FROM BEHIND initiative to tackle the important topic with “Sh*t Talk,” an entertaining video to reduce the stigma and break down the barriers to screening – that thing that almost no one wants to talk about, let alone do. With the NFL season in full swing, and sh*t talk raging among the players, Prescott turns talking sh*t into a positive thing and underscores the importance of screening for colon cancer prevention.
The Alliance and its celebrity partners, including Dak and previous supporters Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney, and Terry Crews, encourage people to visit LeadFromBehind.org to view and share the video on their social channels, and tag someone they love who should get screened. A helpful screening tool, which provides more information on an individual’s risk factors, potential symptoms, and screening choices is available on the site.
“Losing my mother to colon cancer was devastating, and no one should have to go through that,” said Prescott. “That’s why I started the colon cancer screening and research pillar of my Faith Fight Finish Foundation. Partnering with the Colorectal Cancer Alliance and LEAD FROM BEHIND is another way I can let people, especially Black Americans who are at greater risk, know that colon cancer is preventable and there are a variety of screening options.”
Colon cancer is the second deadliest cancer in the U.S., yet it is highly treatable and preventable with screening. Depending on a person’s risk factors and preferences, there are different choices for screening including easy-to-use at-home tests, and colonoscopy. Cologuard is for adults 45 and older at average risk and is an at-home test that detects DNA and blood in the stool. A fecal immunochemical test (FIT) is an at-home test that detects blood in the stool, and a colonoscopy is a medical procedure that uses a camera to exam the colon.
“I’d like to thank Dak for joining Rob McElhenney, Terry Crews, and me in helping raise awareness for dropping your drawers,” said Maximum Effort Co-founder Ryan Reynolds. “This is a highly preventable cancer and the more we advocate for and destigmatize the colorectal screening process, the more real lives are saved.”
Colon cancer has a greater than 90% survival rate with early detection and treatment. Disparities limit access to equitable screening and treatment for many, particularly Black and other demographics of Americans who are disproportionately underserved and overburdened by the disease. In an effort to decrease disparities and improve outcomes among those with significant barriers to quality care, the Alliance is launching a Health Equity Fund. Exact Sciences is the seed donor of the Alliance’s Healthy Equity Fund, pledging one million dollars’ worth of Cologuard screening kits. The kits will be distributed through select community health centers in partnership with the Alliance.
“Our research shows that screening access varies greatly among Black and medically underserved populations, which directly impacts the risk of colorectal cancer,” said Kevin Conroy, Chairman and CEO of Exact Sciences. “We applaud the Colorectal Cancer Alliance for creating a Health Equity Fund and are committed to assisting its efforts to make screening accessible for all.”
Disparities in healthcare are widespread and associated with worse health outcomes. According to various data, the reality of these disparities is stark:
- Black Americans are 15% more likely than non-Hispanic whites to get colorectal cancer and 35% more likely to die from it.
- Hispanics and individuals of Latin heritage are screened at lower rates, with only slightly more than 50% of those eligible checked for colorectal cancer.
- Pervasive stigma, discomfort with screening methods, lack of institutional trustworthiness, lack of awareness of when/how to screen, and bias/racism in the healthcare system create barriers.
- Patients with a lower economic status of any race are at substantially higher risk for undertreatment and treatment delay.
The Colorectal Cancer Alliance is committed to breaking down barriers to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, including systemic racism, poverty, language barriers, lack of insurance, environmental conditions, and geography, among others. The Health Equity Fund will aim to increase the Alliance’s impact by offering free or low-cost screening options to more Americans in need, expanding financial assistance for patients during treatment, enabling innovative research to identify reasons for and solutions to disparities, and connecting those most in need with high-quality and potentially lifesaving screening and treatment options.
“The mission of the Alliance is to end colorectal cancer in our lifetime,” said Michael Sapienza, CEO of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. “By raising awareness for screening options and prevention through LEAD FROM BEHIND and decreasing disparities through the Health Equity Fund, we are making significant strides in achieving that mission.”
To learn more about screening options, share Dak’s video, and help make a difference, go to LeadFromBehind.org. For more information or to donate to the Health Equity Fund visit ccalliance.org/healthequity.
ABOUT LEAD FROM BEHIND
LEAD FROM BEHIND is a creative initiative to let everyone know that colon cancer is The Preventable Cancer. Yet today, colon cancer is the second biggest cancer killer in America. The best way to prevent it is by getting screened – that thing almost no one wants to talk about, let alone do. In 2021, thanks to guidelines that lowered the screening age from 50 to 45, 20 MILLION more Americans are now eligible to get checked. Talk to your healthcare provider to decide which screening option is best for you. Powered by the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, the largest colon cancer nonprofit organization, LEAD FROM BEHIND has been created in partnership with Ryan Reynolds and his creative agency Maximum Effort. www.LeadFromBehind.org
ABOUT COLORECTAL CANCER ALLIANCE
The Colorectal Cancer Alliance empowers a nation of passionate and determined allies to prevent, treat, and overcome colorectal cancer in their lives and communities. Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Alliance advocates for prevention, magnifies support, and accelerates research. We are the largest national nonprofit dedicated to colorectal cancer, and we exist to end this disease in our lifetime. For more information, visit ccalliance.org.
ABOUT MAXIMUM EFFORT:
Maximum Effort makes movies, tv series, content, and cocktails for the personal amusement of Hollywood Star Ryan Reynolds. We occasionally share them with the general public. Producers of the Deadpool films, Free Guy, The Adam Project, and Welcome to Wrexham.
ABOUT EXACT SCIENCES CORP.
A leading provider of cancer screening and diagnostic tests, Exact Sciences gives patients andhealth care professionals the clarity needed to take life-changing action earlier. Building on the success of the Cologuard® and Oncotype® tests, Exact Sciences is investing in its pipeline to develop innovative solutions for use before, during, and after a cancer diagnosis. For more information, visit ExactSciences.com, follow Exact Sciences on X, formerly known as Twitter @ExactSciences, or find Exact Sciences on LinkedIn and Facebook.
Press contact: press@leadfrombehind.org
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TERRY CREWS AND HIS CREATIVE COMPANY SUPER SERIOUS JOIN RYAN REYNOLDS’ MAXIMUM EFFORT AND THE COLORECTAL CANCER ALLIANCE TO ‘LEAD FROM BEHIND’
The New Initiative Aims to Educate about the Variety of Screening Options Available to Help Detect and Prevent Colon Cancer
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 25, 2023 – The nation’s leading nonprofit dedicated to colon cancer, the Colorectal Cancer Alliance (Alliance) is reteaming with Ryan Reynolds’ creative agency, Maximum Effort, to reignite LEAD FROM BEHIND, featuring Terry Crews to kick-off the effort. The LEAD FROM BEHIND initiative is on a mission to generate mass awareness about the fact that colon cancer is The Preventable Cancer. The best way to prevent it is by getting screened – that thing almost no one wants to talk about, let alone do. Through a series of unique and creative videos featuring celebrities in sports and entertainment highlighting the variety of colon cancer screening options that people can choose from, LEAD FROM BEHIND tackles the important topic in an entertaining and approachable way to help reduce the stigma and break down the barriers to screening.
Colon cancer is the second deadliest cancer in the U.S., yet it is highly preventable with timely screening. It has a greater than 90% survival rate with early detection and treatment, but about one third of eligible adults are not getting screened regularly. By raising awareness for screening options and prevention, the Alliance aims to end this disease in our lifetime.
After a successful launch of LEAD FROM BEHIND last September, when Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds filmed their colonoscopy experiences, the Alliance is now partnering with actor, host and former NFL football player Terry Crews and his creative company Super Serious to continue spreading awareness about screening options. In the new video, Crews reprises his infamous role as President Camacho, back from the comedy Idiocracy, to run in the 2024 election. On a mission to make things right again, President Camacho underscores the importance of screening for colon cancer prevention. Click HERE to watch the video.
The Alliance and its celebrity partners encourage people to visit LeadFromBehind.org to view and share the video on their social channels, and tag someone they love who should get screened. A helpful screening tool, which provides more information on an individual’s risk factors, potential symptoms and screening choices can also be found at quiz.getscreened.org.
“I’ve partnered with the Colorectal Cancer Alliance and LEAD FROM BEHIND because together we can prevent unnecessary suffering from The Preventable Cancer,” said Terry Crews. “The outrageous persona of President Camacho demands the attention this cause deserves. Reprising this role felt like the perfect way to continue to raise awareness and encourage people to get screened.”
Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths for men and women combined, and the disease is on the rise in younger generations. It has become the deadliest cancer among men under 50, and researchers predict it will become the leading cause of cancer death in men and women ages 20-49 within the next decade. Colon cancer disproportionately affects Black and underserved Americans. Black Americans have the second-highest mortality and incidence rates in the U.S., and are 35% more likely to die from colon cancer and 20% more likely to develop it than non-Hispanic whites.
“Last year, Rob McElhenney and I filmed our colonoscopies for the world to see. It wasn’t comfortable but it was important,” said Maximum Effort Co-founder Ryan Reynolds. “The impact was so great that apparently the President of the United States in the 25th century heard about it. We applaud President Camacho for his bravery – and also idiocy. And we’re indebted to Super Serious and Mike Judge for their help towards the cause of eradicating colon cancer.”
Colon cancer screening should begin at age 45. Screening is the number one way to prevent colon cancer, yet about one third of eligible adults are not getting it done. In late 2020, the CDC estimated that 68% of colon cancer deaths could be prevented if all eligible people were screened. There are a variety of screening options depending on risk factors and symptoms, including colonoscopies and easy-to-use at-home tests. Cologuard is an at-home stool DNA test that detects 92% of cancers. A fecal immunochemical test (FIT), is an at-home test that uses antibodies to detect blood in the stool and detects 79% of cancers.
“Screening can prevent colon cancer through the detection and removal of precancerous growths called polyps. That’s why colon cancer is The Preventable Cancer,” said Michael Sapienza, CEO of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. “Screening can also detect cancer at an early stage, when treatment is usually more successful. LEAD FROM BEHIND aims to spread this message, break down the stigma, and encourage everyone to get screened.”
To learn more about screening options, share the video and help make a difference, go to www.LeadFromBehind.org.
ABOUT LEAD FROM BEHIND
LEAD FROM BEHIND is a creative initiative to let everyone know that colon cancer is The Preventable Cancer. Yet today, colon cancer is the second biggest cancer killer in America. The best way to prevent it is by getting screened – that thing almost no one wants to talk about, let alone do. In 2021, thanks to guidelines that lowered the screening age from 50 to 45, 20 MILLION more Americans are now eligible to get checked. Talk to your healthcare provider to decide which screening option is best for you.
Powered by the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, the largest colon cancer nonprofit organization, LEAD FROM BEHIND has been created in partnership with Ryan Reynolds and his creative agency Maximum Effort. www.LeadFromBehind.org
ABOUT COLORECTAL CANCER ALLIANCE
The Colorectal Cancer Alliance empowers a nation of passionate and determined allies to prevent, treat, and overcome colorectal cancer in their lives and communities. We advocate for prevention, magnify support, and accelerate research to end this disease. Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Alliance is the largest national nonprofit dedicated to colorectal cancer, and we exist to end this disease in our lifetime. For more information, visit ccalliance.org.
About SUPER SERIOUS
SUPER SERIOUS is a creative company focused on using creativity to make the world a more interesting place for everyone. They believe that entertainment can take many forms, and thus so does their work – movies, series, music, art, books, audiobooks, stunts, events, concerts, original content, branded content – Whatever medium best helps them connect with the audience. SUPER SERIOUS owns their own means of production, from the cameras to the stage, to the post-house. This allows them to be reactive to culture in real time, putting things out into the world in a matter of hours instead of weeks. The SUPER SERIOUS approach to partnerships is simple – They collaborate as partners, through the totality of the project. There is no “us” and “them”, there is only “we”, as in “We are in this together”.
About Maximum Effort:
Maximum Effort makes movies, tv series, content and cocktails for the personal amusement of Hollywood Star Ryan Reynolds. We occasionally share them with the general public. Producers of the Deadpool films, Free Guy, The Adam Project and Welcome to Wrexham.
Press contact: press@leadfrombehind.org
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RYAN REYNOLDS & ROB McELHENNEY SHARE THEIR COLONOSCOPY VIDEOS TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO ‘LEAD FROM BEHIND’
LEAD FROM BEHIND – Launches To Raise Awareness That Colon Cancer Is The Preventable Cancer. 1 in 24 Americans Gets Colon Cancer & It’s Rising In Young People.
Washington DC, September 13, 2022. Brooks Bell and the Colorectal Cancer Alliance (the Alliance) announced today the launch of ‘LEAD FROM BEHIND’ with help from Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. LEAD FROM BEHIND is a new initiative to raise awareness that colon cancer is The Preventable Cancer. Colon cancer is the second deadliest cancer in America, yet it can be prevented with a colonoscopy. What’s more, it’s rising in young people and is predicted to be the top cancer killer for people under 50 by 2030.
The best way to prevent it is by getting a colonoscopy – that thing almost no one wants to talk about, let alone do. LEAD FROM BEHIND is here to change that. In 2021, thanks to guidelines that lowered the age of your first colonoscopy from 50 to 45, 20 MILLION more Americans are now eligible to get checked.
To help raise awareness, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney appeared in LEAD FROM BEHIND’s launch video that you can see here. Reynolds and McElhenney, who both turned 45 this year, decided to make a friendly wager around their Welsh football team, Wrexham AFC, that resulted in both of them getting, filming and broadcasting their colonoscopies.
“I’ve been on camera a lot. But this was the first time one was shoved up my ass,” said Ryan Reynolds. “The procedure and prep were painless but the discomfort of filming and sharing the process was the hardest part. Rob and I did it because we want this potentially life-saving procedure to be less mysterious and stigmatized.”
“Ryan and I both turned 45 this year and this is just a rite of passage,” added Rob McElhenney, “and a great one because it can literally save your life. It’s obviously a procedure that makes people uncomfortable but it sure beats getting cancer. We wanted to have fun with this because as with all the weird things that happen in life, why not make it fun instead of scary?”
LEAD FROM BEHIND is founded by Brooks Bell, tech entrepreneur and colon cancer survivor, and powered by the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, the largest colon cancer nonprofit organization. LEAD FROM BEHIND’s goal is to make colon cancer famous, inspire millions to get checked and save 100,000 lives.
“I was diagnosed with Stage III colon cancer at 38. I’m a trend, not a tragedy,” says Brooks Bell, founder, LEAD FROM BEHIND and self-proclaimed Colonoscopy Enthusiast. “Around one in three people has a polyp by the time they are 45. Polyps usually have no symptoms. A colonoscopy will find them, and snip them out on the spot, preventing cancer down the road! After I was diagnosed, my 35 year old sister got her first colonoscopy and they found and removed a large polyp. It may have saved her life.”
“This year, 150,000 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer. They don’t need to be because colon cancer is preventable,” says Michael Sapienza, CEO the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, who lost his mother to the disease in 2009 and created the Alliance that has served nearly 2 million patients and caregivers. “From a colonoscopy to an at-home FIT kit, to a Cologuard test, there’s a way for everyone to get checked. But first they need to want to. That’s why we’ve launched LEAD FROM BEHIND, and we are beyond grateful to Ryan, Rob and the whole Maximum Effort team for shining a light on a 30-minute action that saves lives”.
LEAD FROM BEHIND has been created in partnership with Maximum Effort, Ryan Reynolds’ Creative Agency and with brand marketer, Chrysi Philalithes, former Chief Digital Officer of (RED).
To learn more go to www.LeadFromBehind.org
If you or someone you know is concerned about colon cancer, the Alliance is here to help.
Call the Helpline – 1-833-3BEHIND
Press contact: press@leadfrombehind.org
ABOUT LEAD FROM BEHIND:
LEAD FROM BEHIND is a new initiative to let everyone know that colon cancer is The Preventable Cancer. Yet today, colon cancer is the second biggest cancer killer in America. And the best way to prevent it is by getting a colonoscopy – that thing almost no one wants to talk about, let alone do. In 2021, thanks to guidelines that lowered the age of your first colonoscopy from 50 to 45, 20 MILLION more Americans are now eligible to get checked.
Founded by Brooks Bell, tech entrepreneur and colon cancer survivor, and powered by the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, the largest colon cancer nonprofit organization, LEAD FROM BEHIND has been created in partnership with Ryan Reynolds and his creative agency Maximum Effort.
ABOUT COLORECTAL CANCER ALLIANCE:
The Colorectal Cancer Alliance is the largest nonprofit organization committed to ending colorectal cancer. Working with our nation of passionate allies, we diligently support the needs of patients and families, caregivers, and survivors; eagerly raise awareness of preventive screening; and continually strive to fund critical research. As allies in the struggle, we are fiercely determined to end colorectal cancer within our lifetime. For more information, visit www.ccalliance.org
