Cancer on $5 a Day* *(chemo not included): How Humor Got Me Through the Toughest Journey of My Life [Hardcover]

Robert Schimmel (Author), Alan Eisenstock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 26, 2008

In the spring of 2000, Robert Schimmel was riding high. He’d won the Stand-Up of the Year Award, his HBO special was a huge hit, and his sitcom had been picked up. And then it all came crashing down. Diagnosed with Stage III non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, he was told he would have to undergo chemotherapy immediately. The sitcom was dumped and the fire of his white-hot career started to go out. But Schimmel never lost his sense of humor, his knife-like edge, and most of all, his passion to entertain. Indeed, it was his basic need to laugh-even if the only people around him were suffering from cancer and the room he was playing was the Mayo Clinic infusion center-that carried him through his ordeal. From his colorful banter with nurses and other patients during chemo, to his hilarious conversation with a wig salesman, going for the laugh was Robert Schimmel’s survival mechanism. Alternately laugh-out-loud funny and profound, Cancer on Five Dollars a Day is an honest account of how one man’s face-off with a deadly disease helped him better understand himself.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Schimmel already had a hit HBO stand-up comedy special and a Stand-Up of the Year title from the American Comedy Awards when, in the spring of 2000, he was diagnosed with Stage III non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. His world changed instantly; success in the raunchy joke trade-he also had an edgy FOX series in development-was replaced by the struggle for survival, the rigors of chemotherapy and all the fear and uncertainty that goes with it. Schimmel also looks back on his son, whom he lost not long before to brain cancer. Among a crowded field of inspiring and straight-talking personal survival stories, Schimmel's conversational account is particularly ribald, emphasizing the importance a sense of humor can play in coping, learning and healing.
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Review

"It's engrossing and dark, with touches you'd expect from the rough-edged, ribald comic."--"San Diego Union Tribune"

"A dark look at facing death--but one with plenty of laughter, which, of course, is the best medicine."--"Springfield Republican "

"Raw, moving, inspiring and very, very funny."--"Hooters"

"If you like to laugh, this is the book to read...Schimmel is funny in a wonderfully irreverent way about something anyone can identify with--a complete loss of control...Schimmel is advancing cancer education as well as finding ways to make a horrific experience something to laugh about."--"Cure"

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press; 1ST edition (February 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738211583
• ISBN-13: 978-0738211589
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #191,578 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars humanity via humor, March 1, 2008

By 

B. Katz - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cancer on $5 a Day* *(chemo not included): How Humor Got Me Through the Toughest Journey of My Life (Hardcover)

I heard Robert Schimmel on Stern last week and picked up this book before a flight. I was familiar with Schimmel's humor so I got a lot of what I expected (and wanted) in the book.

What I didnt expect, but loved, was the humanity and compassion Schimmel shows for fellow patients, family and friends through his fight with cancer. He clearly states the importance of both selfishness and selflessness to get him through this darkest hour. Most of all, he relies on humor and an open mind to get him and his posse through his harrowing experience with chemo.

The takeaway is multi-layered, but bottom line, a positive attitude and a great support network clearly help Schimmel Lick the Big C.

Hope to get to see him do stand up some day, I am sure his show contains the passion he won through his hard fought victory over cancer.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You don't read this book, you wear it, March 13, 2008

By 

DougA (OR, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cancer on $5 a Day* *(chemo not included): How Humor Got Me Through the Toughest Journey of My Life (Hardcover)

This is a book that is an easy weekend read, but it is so powerfully written that it stays with you for a long time. The book mirrors Schimmel's style of comedy: brutally honest, no punches pulled, sarcastic and defiant. Even as you're reading this book, you get the feeling you're on the ride with him.

You don't really read this book, you absorb it. You wear it; not like a coat, but more like a second skin. That skin crawls when Schimmel describes the seemingly unabated misery associated with the chemo treatments. That skin frosts over when you and Robert get the news that he's got non-Hodgkins lymphoma. And that skin gets goosebumps as you emerge from the depths of despair right along side Robert.

It's a cliche, but Schimmel never does lose his sense of humor. Not only did he not lose his humor, he refused to let those around him lose theirs. That's the definition of a hero. Sure, there's probably a dash of his own self-preservation cooked in there as well, but he refused to become completely selfish even when his doctors told him that's what he had to do to survive. Even if it meant his own death, he was committed to making this experience less impactful on those he cared about -- and even some people met during treatment.

As for the ending, well, I'm going to let you experience that for yourself. Nobody ruined it for me and I envy you your first time reading of it as well. I will say this of the ending: if you don't get tears in your eyes at the end of this book, hold a mirror under your nose to see if you're still breathing.

Get this book and thank me later.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More laughs than tears but plenty of both., March 6, 2008

By 

JACK BUTLER "Jack Butler" (Newport News VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cancer on $5 a Day* *(chemo not included): How Humor Got Me Through the Toughest Journey of My Life (Hardcover)

I love Robert's comedy and when I saw him on Conan's show, I immediately ordered a copy of his book. I think I laughed out loud on every page for the first half of the book. The second hundred pages had plenty of Robert's wonderful humor, but also moments that brought tears. He is quite a comedian and quite a human being. I definitely recommend his book.