The 1950s and 1960s were the heyday of the classic western, both in the movies and on television. The great John Ford directed epic films such as
The Searchers, and the “spaghetti westerns” of Sergio Leone made an international star of Clint Eastwood, who would go on to create memorable westerns on his own. Television, of course, gave us
The Big Valley,
Bonanza, and the long-running
Gunsmoke. Evocative music, memorable in its own right, provided an atmospheric tone. Some of those pieces, such as the instantly recognizable theme from
The Magnificent Seven, could even define the American vision of the Old West. Here the television shows made their own contributions. The theme from Rawhide (yet another Eastwood vehicle from the early years of his career), a series centered on the experiences of cattle drovers, sits at number 23 on the Western Writers of American list of the top 100 western songs of all time. Its lyrics memorably communicate the need to keep the cattle moving to market, to keep them “rollin’, rollin’, rollin’.” It’s a personal favorite.
So imagine my delight when I discovered that the Calvert County Health Department (CCHD) borrows the “Rawhide” theme to promote its efforts toward effective colorectal cancer screening. They have posted a clever short animation on Facebook, which you can find here:
https://www.facebook.com/calvertadmin/videos/keep-your-colon-rollin/2821572081441891/
I’m glad they didn’t include the whip crack!
The CCHD has a program to assist people who qualify with a no-cost, grant-funded colonoscopy. This removes significant barriers to access for those who can take advantage of it. Qualifications include:
- Being a resident of Calvert County
- Age 45 or older
- Experiencing symptoms or have a family history of colorectal cancer
- Age younger than 45 if you have a family or personal history of colorectal cancer or a personal history of Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
- Uninsured or under-insured
- Meet income guidelines
For more information or to see if you qualify for no cost colon cancer screening, contact the CCHD by calling
410.535.5400, x343.
Colonoscopy might provoke ugly thoughts but it’s certainly a very good thing, not all that bad, and if you can have one without handing over a fistful of dollars or even a few dollars more, it may mean you won’t have to purchase a tombstone before high noon.