How to go
Where: Wiley’s Comedy Niteclub, 101 Pine St., Dayton
When: 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29
Featured comedians: Linda Gambino, Rob Haney, Raymond Jackson, Joanne Viskup, Jack Wilson
Cost: $5
More info: (937) 224-JOKE
DAYTON — Wiley’s Comedy Niteclub will be hosting Go Pink on Thursday, Oct. 29, in honor of breast cancer awareness month. Five comedians will take the stage hoping to raise money for breast cancer awareness.
The topic isn’t something that most people take very lightly but Linda Gambino, stand-up comedian and activist, isn’t like most people.
“I am one of those people that odd things happen to,” said Gambino, who started doing standup in 2006.
Gambino uses her unconventional sense of humor to find even the most unfortunate events in life amusing. “That’s how I deal with painful things,” said Gambino. “Like my cancer.”
Though she is able to see the bright side of things, Gambino admits that convincing other people that cancer can be funny was hard at first.
“The first time I did a joke about it, people just looked at me. It was uncomfortable laughter,” she said.
Gambino has had some time to perfect her act and has found one thing important to the audience.
“You have to give them permission to laugh,” she said.
Gambino knows that making jokes about cancer is considered taboo but doesn’t see any other way.
“Not everybody is going to find the humor in it like I do because I am kind of twisted,” she said. “You just have to look at the bright side. It’s the only way you are going to get through it.”
One thing Gambino doesn’t find humorous, though, is the exploitation of the pink ribbon.
“There are so many companies that use the pink ribbon and don’t give the money to breast cancer,” she said.
One of her favorite campaigns is Think Before You Pink. As part of the Breast Cancer Action project, Think Before You Pink exposes companies who use the pink ribbon to make profit while polluting peoples’ health and contributing to the breast cancer epidemic at the same time.
Though Gambino is grateful for the efforts made by individuals to contribute to the breast cancer movement, she said sometimes “it’s just better to give directly to the breast cancer group.”
Gambino was diagnosed in 2000 at the age of 34. Her doctor’s said she’d be lucky to live two more years. She celebrates what she calls her “cancerversary” on Aug. 16.
Nine years after her diagnosis, Gambino said worrying about breaking a nail and coloring her hair the perfect shade of brown are no longer important.
“You just have a completely different outlook on life. Things are put into perspective,” she said.
One thing Gambino did worry about was how her three daughters were going to grow up without her.
“Who was going to teach them about life? she asked. “Who was going to tell them their butt looked fat in those jeans?”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-0633 or lbeach@Dayton DailyNews.com.
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