WASHINGTON, March 3, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- YouTube star and Comedian Jack Vale teams up with the Colon Cancer Alliance to launch a new online video to raise awareness and encourage people to get screened for colon cancer – the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in America, but largely preventable with appropriate screening.
As part of the organization's activities for Colon Cancer Awareness Month, the Colon Cancer Alliance uses the video to applaud those people who have had a colonoscopy and help dispel the fears of getting tested for this highly preventable disease. This nonprofit organization enlisted Vale to interview people in the recovery room as they are coming out of anesthesia. After the gastroenterologist lets the patient know his/her results were clear, Vale, posing as a recovery room supervisor, enters to ask patients some light-hearted questions about their colonoscopy experience.
One of the side effects of anesthesia, patients tend to answer questions more honestly. Prankster Vale pulls out some of his best tricks when, with a straight face, he shows the patient a "suspicious object" (i.e. car keys, iPhone and a pack of collector cards) that allegedly was found in the patient's colon during the procedure. The video captures candid and often hilarious responses as to why this object might be found in the colon.
Once the patient is let in on the prank, the video ends with a life-saving message to viewers: "You probably don't have an iPhone in your colon, but you might have something a lot more serious. Colon cancer is largely preventable when detected early. Talk to your doctor about when you should get screened and share this message with people you love. It could save someone's life."
"When detected early, colon cancer is nearly 90% treatable," said Eric Hargis, CEO of the Colon Cancer Alliance. "It's pretty common knowledge that people know they need to get screened for colon cancer, however, about one third of people in the US are not taking action; an action that can prevent the disease. Getting people screened can literally save lives. We wanted to push the envelope using a light-hearted approach to get people talking about colon cancer screening. Jack Vale is a talented comedian with an engaging sense of humor. Together we are using the power of social media to encourage people to share this important message with loved ones."
Jack Vale is a celebrated comedian with a popular YouTube channel famous for his fun-loving pranks caught on hidden cameras. He is a writer, director and producer and reaches over a million fans per day.
"I'm a comedian and a prankster at heart," said Vale. "I have filmed over 500 videos but, this is the biggest and most elaborate prank I have ever done! It was an honor to work with the Colon Cancer Alliance and the brave patients who agreed to talk to me. This recovery room prank has a serious message and we want everyone to share the video -- you could be saving someone's life."
To view and share the short video, please go to www.ccalliance.org/march/video/.
About one in three adults 50-75 years old have not been tested for colon cancer as recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additionally, it is predicted that 136,800 people will be diagnosed with colon cancer in 2014 – those numbers comprised about equally of men and women. Unfortunately, there has also been a growing number of people under the age of 50 who have been diagnosed with the disease – about 15,000 people annually.
The Colon Cancer Alliance recommends that if you're at a high risk or are having signs or symptoms, talk to your doctor. Sometimes, there are no symptoms at all so having an open dialogue and knowing your family history with the disease is a very important.
About the Colon Cancer Alliance:
The Colon Cancer Alliance's mission is to knock colon cancer out of the top three cancer killers. This mission is being accomplished by championing prevention, funding cutting-edge research and providing the highest quality patient support services. Learn more at ccalliance.org.
About Jack Vale:
Jack Vale describes himself as just a family man who pranks people for a living. He is one of the original prank artists on YouTube, having launched his channel in 2007 and has accrued over 900k subscribers and over 174M views. His work has been featured on CNN, Huffington Post, Fox News and Mashable and Jack has appeared on "Lopez Tonight" (TBS), "The View" (ABC), "Pranked" (MTV) and "Today" (NBC).