It’s at the historic Pierre hotel that New York City’s Gilda’s Club celebrated its 24 year anniversary last Thursday night, honoring former SNL comedian, writer and actress Vanessa Bayer among other outstanding individuals who have contributed to improving the quality of life of cancer patients and raising over $850,000.By providing free support groups, educational lectures and healthy lifestyle workshops for everyone impacted by cancer Gilda’s Club created a welcoming community that understands what it means to be living with cancer. Members of the club say it best: “Everyone understands everything about me. They know how I feel, they know how to comfort me, they know how to laugh at me.” There’s a collective wisdom at Gilda’s that sparks from sharing experiences that could never be found in any other place. Every year Gilda’s Club provides 800 support groups and 582 educational workshops and lectures to a total of 12,000 cancer patients and their families.
Supporting, educating and empowering cancer patients and their families has been Gilda’s Club mission for the past two and a half decades, and Vanessa Bayer, who battled with leukemia at the age 15, is really close to this matter. “Being there for them and supporting people and including them in any way that you can is what everyone should do. Just remembering that even if someone is sick they’re still the same person and they still want to talk about the same fun, silly, dumb stuff that we’ve always talked about”. When I asked her if she thought that laughter improved physical well being she replied, “There has been scientific research that shows that it gives your brain more oxygen and I also think that when you’re laughing you can’t be sad or worry and it helps heal your body.” It seems that laughter really is the best medicine after all.
In that spirit Kenan Thompson and Phil Hanley lit up the room with their jokes sharing their personal experiences of how cancer impacted their lives and Emma Stone sent over a heartfelt video message praising the life-changing work of the association.
Sponsors include Gold Benefactor WCG (WIRB-Copernicus Group), The Slattery Family Foundation, Arsenal Capital Partners, and Eisai Inc.
