Comedian Robert Schimmel was diagnosed with Stage III non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2000. So what's a funny man to do but make jokes about it?
Last year Schimmel published a book, "Cancer on $5 a Day," exploring how humor helped him through his fight with the disease. Listen to him read an excerpt about sharing his love of laughs with his chemo support group.
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Pursuing your life's work, that which you love, in the face of pain and mortal tragedy is not just good therapy, it is THE ultimate goal of life.
Mr. Schimmel's work is creating art from disclosing and performing emotionally satisfying ironic theatre for an audience to elicit laughter and good humor.
I am unable to imagine him doing anything other than his work - read "love"!
I am a fan of his work prior, and I applaud him for coming back. I expect nothing less.
I am sympathetic. I have lived in constant chronic pain for 11 1/2 years from crushed ankles(both). I was in a wheelchair for 6 of them. I got a life sentence from doctors that i would do no better.
I had a choice of going into semi sedentary type work like computer programming etc, or back to the very physical "men's work" type career I pursued and loved with a lot of demand for walking,carrying and loading trucks and the like. I work in Film & TV in the property craft.
I chose the work I loved, armed myself with painkillers and toughed it out. Couldn't be happier or healthier!
I will make every effort to listen to and laugh with Mr. Schimmel as long as he is willing and able to speak and write, on any subject he chooses no matter how seemingly painful.
I am going to believe this will be for many years to come!
"Find work that you love, and you'll never work another day in your life."