Not everyone has the great joy of a colonoscopy at a young age. I am one of the few who has and let me tell you, it is truly a humbling experience.

For those of you who are lucky enough to have escaped the clutches of the gastroenterologist for now, let me give you a little background. Before the doctor can do anything at all, your colon has to be empty. And I do mean completely empty. How does one achieve such an empty state? Well, there are different methods, but the method prescribed to me was a day of fasting followed by 4 laxative pills and 4 liters of the most disgusting substance I have ever had to drink in my life.

Drinking the colonoscopy prep was honestly the worst part. It's a clear, foul-tasting, thick liquid that tastes like sea water mixed with a hint of lemon. The consistency of it makes it a tough medicine to swallow, which is unfortunate because you have to drink one cup of it every 15 minutes.

I really used to consider myself a person with a lot of endurance and self-control. After years of tennis, cross country, horseback riding, and vigorous academics among other things, I thought I was the master of forcing myself to do things I didn't particularly want to do. But nothing, not even the warnings of my friend, prepared me for what came next.

The first cups are alright. They definitely aren't good, but they're bearable. You can chug them really quickly without thinking too much about it, and everything is fine. But, by cup three or so, things start to go downhill fast. Nausea kicks in, and each cup gets progressively harder and harder to swallow. You slow down your chugging until eventually, it takes you the entire 15 minutes to finish a single glass, and you have to start a new one right as you finish one. And that all happens before the medicine actually starts to take effect. Don't worry, I'll spare you the details.

I thought I was strong but I was so, so wrong. This medicine had me on my knees every time I had to drink another glass. It took all I had to keep it down and force myself to keep drinking. It was an experience I would not wish on my worst enemy.

But I did learn a lot from it. I learned that, when the going gets tough, you just have to get tougher and keep going. It was honestly one of the hardest things I've had to make myself do, but I did somehow manage. About halfway through, I was crying because I was convinced I couldn't finish but I knew I had to. And I eventually did. Sometimes, we just have to do our best, persevere, and keep going. And that's all we can do.