DO THIS ONE THING TO S TAY POSI TIVE: “Use your creativity to make fun plans, even if you have to force yourself.” —Katy Franco
The Cause Comedienne
Ask Katy Franco and she’ll
tell you that breast cancer
has made her a funnier
person. A soap-opera actress
in Puerto Rico (she played a
husband-stealing villain
who poisoned people), she
moved to Los Angeles
and, in 2005, was working
the stand-up comedy circuit
when she felt a burning
sensation in her left breast.
After her breast-cancer
diagnosis, she continued
performing right through
chemo and radiation. “When
I was diagnosed, I had to
find a reason to live,” says
Katy. “Making other people
laugh made me feel alive.”
Still, when her writing
partner suggested she create
a sho w about her experience,
Katy hesitated. “So many
people think, Cancer’s no
laughing matter,” she says.
“But the truth is, you’re
not laughing at the cancer.
You’re laughing at ho w
absurd life can be.” (A joke
in her repertoire: “In
solidarity with me during my
chemotherapy treatment,
my 70-year-old mother
offered to shave her head. I
A
said, ‘ You know, Mom, I
would really appreciate it if
you shaved your legs!’”)
When you look at what’s
happening in your life as
tragedy, you’re going to feel
tragic, says Katy. A key to
fighting breast cancer—or,
really, any of life’s big speed
bumps—is looking for the
positive or the funny. Here,
Katy’s tips on finding
laughter in trying times.
1. “Rent funny movies, even
if you’re not in the mood. Or
get on You Tube and watch
one of those animal videos.
Pets can be hilarious.”
2. “Think of great memories.
Ring a friend and ask, ‘Do
you remember when…?’ See,
you’re already smiling.”
3. “Play all the happy
music. Especially songs that
remind you of good times.”
4. “If you have cancer,
people will be very solemn.
That’s OK, but you also need
to be around people who
laugh a lot. It’s contagious.”
5. “Act like a kid. I sang
and danced around my
house wearing hot-pink
lipstick. I wrote a ridiculous
rap about my cancer. I take
my illness very seriously,
but I also know that silliness
can lead to happiness.”
Katy Franco
is an actress, comedienne,
breast-cancer survivor, and
coauthor of Chemorella.
Her one-woman comedy show,
The Breast Years of My Life,
is at the Laugh Factory in Los
Angeles this month.
