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Monday, October 25, 2010

A lesson from Tom Green: Laughter and Testicular Cancer


Tom Green was in Toronto this past week as part of his North American standup comedy tour.

Having grown up in Ottawa, and listening to his late-night college radio show and then seeing him around downtown pulling hilarious pranks on unsuspecting bystanders for his Rogers' Cable TV's The Tom Green Show, was awesome.

I wasn't sure how he would do at standup, since I've been used to him doing performance comedy, pranks or hosting guests on his talkshows. I somehow convinced Aileen to come along to join the fun, but felt added pressure that Tom not resort to bringing out roadkill to hump on stage, or I would have a very disappointed wife.

After waiting in line in the rain for a good 20 minutes in front of the Phoenix, we were hoping for a really good show. The opening act was actually hilarious, and then Tom came running up from behind the crowd and didn't let up for a high-energy amazing performance. I couldn't stop laughing for the whole 90 minutes. Best part was that Aileen was busting a gut laughing as well. Phew...thought I would be hearing about "the *real* romantic night when Makoto dragged me to see Tom Green" for decades to come. Happy wife, happy life.

Anyhow, it's been a stressful and busy few weeks, and I think laughing our brains out was the best prescription we could have had. I think neither of us would have imagined anytime before that night, that Tom Green would actually be therapeutic. They do say laughter is the best medicine, and sometimes it's easy to forget when you are too busy to laugh. I have to remember to keep passing this advice on to others, and refer to Dr.Tom Green, Dr.Russell Peters, Dr.Chris Rock or one of the many other docs with mics.

Another lesson from Dr.Tom Green was about his survival through testicular cancer. He says "Sometimes I think about my battle with cancer, and think, I wouldn't trade if for anything...and then I think, well, I would trade it for my right testicle. Wouldn't mind getting that back!"

I recall his "Cancer Special" on MTV's The Tom Green Show in 2000 that tried to make light of his experiences dealing with doctors and surgery through his cancer treatment. Was great that he was educating the public through humour. He had a frank and serious moment in the show when he touched on this again, appreciating that he survived cancer, and reminding all the men to check their nuts.

So guys, don't forget to do a quick nut check every month in the shower.

There's not a lot of tissue to palpate (no matter what you want to believe), so it won't delay your morning by more than a minute or two. Ensure that there aren't any strange lumps or masses, and if there is anything you feel that is not normal, consult with your physician.

Prognosis is good if caught early, and main demographic is fairly young (20-35 yrs old), but can happen at any age. And, no, it does not make you any less manly if you see your doctor more than once every five years.


Thanks for the awesome time, Tom!

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