Customer Reviews

Cancer on Five Dollars a Day (chemo not included): How Humor Got Me Through the Toughest Journey of My Life

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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.

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.

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.

As an admirer of Schimmel's humor, I came to really respect him for this honest and humour filled portrayel of his journey through the hell of cancer, coming through it with his humor intact and his appreciation for life very much expanded. Having taken this journey with two siblings , one of thm losing the battle, I totally agree with every word in here. I do not regret one minute of the time and energy expended, knowing that they would do the same for me. People thought we were strange laughing together and always seeing the absurd side of the experience, I once told my terminally ill sister, "No one can say no to you now, Run with it!" his book is a must read for anyone who is or might become a cancer patient.

I first saw Schimmel before his first CD came out and followed his meteoric rise until he dropped off the map. This book begins where "we" left off. It is intelligently written, has all of the Schimmel wit and charm and manages to make you laugh at his trials and tribulations. I will say that if someone is about to go through Chemo, it is both encouraging but challenging with sometimes graphic description of the experience. Robert - What do you do for an encore? (Can't imagine another round of chemo is worth a book deal.)

Buy this book!!! It is a inspiration---totally life-enhancing. Mr. Schimmel's humor is a God-given gift, one which he shares with the world in this book! What an achievement. My mother lost her battle to non-hodgkins lymphoma which interested me in this book---but I was unprepared to find myself dissolving into tears of LAUGHTER reading a cancer survivor's story. Sir, you are a visionary and your book is a gift and an asset to this world. Thank you for writing it and God bless you and yours.

"Cancer on $5.00 a Day" is great, especially if you have just come off five months of therapy for Chronic Lymphomocytic Leukemia (CLL). It expresses the feelings of most cancer patients upon diagnosis and during watch and wait. You always have the sword of death in your future.

I am immpresed with his cander with his oncologist. I have the same relationship to my oncologist. It is the only way to go as far as I am concerned

You will laugh till you cry at some of the passages as you go through the book. It is a quick read as I am an slow reader and finished it in a few hours.

As is usually the case with Schimmel's humor everything "affects" him. From earlier in his career to present he has always been the fall guy. Now, with not only comedic drama in his life but a very real medical dilemma, he is still the fall guy. However, this time it's not funny, it's for real!

Schimmel turns his cancer into a poignant story loaded with humor as only he can see it. It's a viewpoint that many would like to have, but usually fail to see humor in desparate situations.

He also demonstrates his feelings for others and his continued support for others. Truly a gentleman and best friend.

I bought this book not because I or any member of my family suffered through cancer treatments but rather because i'm just a huge fan of the comedy of Robert Schimmel. Little did I know just how touching and poignant this tome would be in addition to being laugh out loud funny, and when I say LAUGH OUT LOUD funny, I mean it. Several parts of this book will have you tears, some from laughter,some from the anguish of his journey through radiation, chemotherary, his family and friends. Most important is that Robert teaches us that keeping a sense of humor no matter what God and life throws our way is essential to our survival. The human soul yearns out for both freedom and laughter. We should all embrace it fully.

Very funny, very honest, very caring. That's a tough hat trick to pull off but Robert Schimmel does it really well. If you've ever wanted to flirt with the nurse who has your hand in her armpit while she's looking for a vein, or to have sex with the nurse who's administering the chemotherapy before the nausea sets in, then this is the book for you.