Laughter as Medicine
Breast cancer is no laughing matter, but that does not keep our guests in this episode from using and sharing humor to cope with their diagnosis.
For our first guest, NYC actress and comedian Jenny Saldaña, a life-changing diagnosis spurred her to write the play “Pink,” a dramedy that includes some of the more humorous moments of life with breast cancer.
Khevin Barnes, who lost his first wife to ovarian cancer and then was diagnosed with breast cancer himself, was inspired to write a song and then an entire musical exploring the dark comedy side of male breast cancer. Our podcast includes an excerpt from his musical—as well as Khevin’s introduction to “laughter yoga.”
Stand-up comedian and MBC patient Elaine Price has found that while her cancer-related jokes can make some “cancer civilians” in her audience uncomfortable, her fellow cancer survivors/thrivers are definitely in on the joke. And she believes that humor is an important way of bringing the reality of MBC out into the open.
OMBCL hosts Konner Kienzle and Victoria Goldberg put this question to each of our guests: “Do you think that laugher can be good medicine?” The consensus is an emphatic “Yes.” Or, As Elaine puts it: “It’s right after chemo! You bet!…I think one of the reasons I’m still standing is my ability to flip things on their head and find meaning.”
OMBCL is grateful to each of our guests for the gift of laughter. And we hope our listeners find many more reasons for smiles, chuckles, or belly laughs throughout the holiday season and 2023.
Ticket Link to Jenny Saldaña's new one-woman show "Desperate Digital Dating Diary" (January 15th @The Triad Theater in NYC):
https://www.instantseats.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=buy.event&eventID=3BD1A14E-E1FA-6764-B6BDE6940FE8FD30
Music Credit:
Saxophone Jazz Theme by:
Bensound https://www.bensound.com/