Jeannie Gaffigan, Wife of Comedian Jim Gaffigan, on How Humor Healed After Brain Tumor Surgery

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“When someone would…say something funny, I felt my blood move,” Gaffigan says in the video. “I felt I was getting better.”

When she was sick, she shares, some would “enter a sick bedroom like it’s a funeral.” Some well-meaning friends even broke down in tears by her hospital bed. But, says Jeannie, there’s a better approach: “My friend Karen walked into Mount Sinai, after my surgery and said, ‘What!? You’re not even bald? I came all the way up here…and your hair looks great?’ She was just funny.”

 

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3 simple ways to help someone suffering from illness: compassion, humor, and touch. In this interview with @bigthinkers and in my book, I share a story about my friend @bergreenkaren visiting me in the hospital. To see the rest of the video and more #behindthepears extras, subscribe to my YouTube channel by searching Jeannie Gaffigan! #whenlifegivesyoupears

A post shared by @ jeanniegaffigan on Feb 11, 2020 at 1:45pm PST

Jeanine Gaffigan’s Cancer Journey

Jeannie’s brain tumor, which was eventually determined to be benign, was discovered after her children’s doctor referred her to a specialist: “Our pediatrician was the first person to encourage Jeannie to see an ear, nose, and throat specialist…to figure out why she had lost hearing in one of her ears,” Jim told Thrive Global in an interview.

 

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Fun at @gothamawards with @jeanniegaffigan. Thanks @ifpfilm & @derrickborte

A post shared by Jim Gaffigan (@jimgaffigan) on Dec 3, 2019 at 3:52am PST

“Eventually, what we thought was a routine MRI unearthed a massive tumor pressing against her brain stem,” he explains.

Fortunately, the surgery, which came with a hefty dose of risk, was successful.

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In her book, “When Life Gives Your Pears: The Healing Power of Family, Faith, and Funny People,” she writes, “It’s an absolute miracle that I dodged this bullet.”

And, she notes, “We never know what that next phone call is going to bring. We need to appreciate every minute.”

Humor and Cancer

SurvivorNet has many community members who say humor helped them through their journeys. Jenny Saldana, a standup-comedian, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at 34, talks with SurvivorNet about writing a “dramedy” about her experience.

Jenny Saldana found humor in her cancer journey

“There are a lot funny moments in it," Jenny says. "But it's about the struggle of finding your new normal when you go through something like this."

 

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