Over my 30 year career in comedy, I’ve been asked to perform at dozens of fundraisers where the sole purpose is to raise not just money, but also awareness.
I’ve helped spread the word about the dangers of drunk driving, brought some much needed laughs to breast cancer survivors and encouraged donors to dip into their wallets on behalf of a local hospital. As a comedian and humor speaker, It fills me with joy to look out at a roomful of people laughing even though their attendance was prompted by a very unfunny subject or event.
Now, I have taken on the role of event organizer as well as comedian. Which means I’m in charge of filling the room before making the audience laugh.
On September 21, 2025 I will be partnering with Zanies Comedy Club in Rosemont to raise money for the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. Why CCA? Because, in March 2024, I officially became a colon cancer survivor. Doctors removed 18 inches of my colon after discovering a malignant tumor lying flat upon it. Recovery was slow but complete; a colonoscopy a year later showed no signs of reoccurrence.
While in the hospital, and recuperating at home, I wondered if cancer could be “funny?” Maybe not the disease itself but what about having to announce to friends that you can’t join them for dinner tonight because you are “prepping for a conoloscopy?” Which is a formal way of saying, “I will be pooping uncontrollably for the next eight hours. Want to come over?”
Doc, I don’t mean to get personal but…
Or, when your surgeon reveals he did in fact remove 18 inches, reply, “As a man, this might be the only time I’ve ever wished for FEWER inches.”
Study after study shows that laughter reduces stress and improves mental health and physical wellbeing. For years I’d been telling audiences to try and find something humorous in even the most dire of situations. Suddenly I had to discover whether it would work for me.
Boy, did it ever!
On stage a month after surgery, and towards the end of a 45 minute headlining set, I casually mentioned my operation and why it was necessary. There were a few gasps from the audience, which I was not expecting. It was never my intention to kill the joyful mood I’d just spent 40 minutes creating. My announcement was simply a setup for these jokes that followed:
The laughs, and the mood, returned quickly. Following my performance, numerous people approached not only with congratulations but also with their own stories of personal health woes and friends or family members they had lost to cancer.
“How are you able to laugh at that?” one woman asked.
“What else should I do?” I replied. “Crying doesn’t make me feel better.”
Truer words were never spoken.
Time To Start Giving Back…Even More
Eighteen months after becoming cancer free, I have vowed to say “yes” as often as possible when asked to perform for a disease that still needs a cure, or a worthy cause that could always use a financial boost. I have contacted healthcare organizations and mental health groups, asking if they have ever considered adding humor to their annual conferences or fundraisers. The coordinator for an upcoming conference on obesity- another very unfunny topic – just reached out asking for a proposal. Other colon cancer associations have come knocking as well.
My comedy door is always open.
If you have a healthcare event that needs a dose of humor, levity and a mental health uplift. click here and let’s discuss. Stay healthy and positive everyone!
To purchase tickets to Laugh Your Ass off at Zanies Comedy Club on September, 21, click here
To make a donation to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, click here.
Encouraging donors to use their phones to make pledges at the 2025 Blue Hope Bash in Chicago
Hugging a fellow colon cancer survivor at the 2025 Blue Hope Bash
