Q+A: Robert Schimmel

Sunday, Dec. 4, 2005 | 9:16 a.m.

Who: Robert Schimmel When: 9 p.m. Dec. 16-17 Where: Monte Carlo4s Lance Burton Theatre Tickets: $35.75 (mezzanine and balcony), $44 (main floor) Information: 730-7777

Comedian Robert Schimmel, known for his brutal honesty and his sexually explicit humor, will celebrate five years of being cancer-free on Dec. 12.

The Bronx native learned he had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma shortly after completing an engagement at the Monte Carlo in June 2000.

Schimmel will perform at the Monte Carlo Dec. 16-17.

How did the news that you had cancer affect you?

It makes you instantly aware of your mortality. It's something you never think about, and suddenly there it is in your face. Doctors told me if the treatment didn't work I had six months. If it did, there was a 49 percent chance of it coming back. They told me to make out a living will, to "get your (expletive) in order.

What was your reaction?

You go through the normal things everyone goes through -- denial, bargaining, depression, anger and finally acceptance.

For me, it was like a big (expletive) eliminator. My priorities fell into order real fast. Every man is in search for this thing, of why we are here, what's the purpose of it all, what is this thing we are looking for? I found that everything I was looking for was right in front of me the whole time, I just never saw it.

It's almost like a horse with blinders -- you can't see left or right, but when the doctor says you have cancer, the blinders disappear and you see what's important in life, and they aren't the things you can buy -- you can't take them with you.

What's important to you?

What's important is enjoying life with the people you love. You can't replace that. Money doesn't buy that.

Jackie Kennedy Onasis died of non-Hodgkins lymphoma; King Hussein died of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and they had a lot more money than I'm ever going to have -- they couldn't buy another minute of life.

I try to share that with people. I try to tell people every night onstage, learn to live every day to the fullest. Isn't it sad that we have to go through something like cancer to give ourselves permssion to live our lives to the fullest?

How do you deal with the cancer?

I found for me the best way to deal with it is humor. I find humor on a daily basis and share it with people around me. I find laughter very disarming. When people learn you have cancer, they don't know what to say, so you tell a joke and let them off the hook -- laughter provides hope.

Did it drastically change your life?

This actually was very motivating for me. I've gone through some things in my life, but nothing like this. When someone says you have cancer, we are programmed to react that it means there is no hope -- that, basically, you're dead.

When you hear someone say "cancer," they almost always say it in a different tone of voice. It's as if people don't want to say it out loud. But my doctor told me not to give it that kind of power -- he said don't live in denial. Cancer may be part of your life, but that doesn't mean it has to control your life. It's up to you. I've never used it as an excuse for anything.

Being a celebrity, are you asked to do a lot of benefits since having cancer?

I get to do a lot of them.

Do you feel you're being taken advantage of?

That's not taking advantage of me, really. I look forward to it.

I just did one last week at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles to help raise money for pediatric cancer research -- (actor/comedian) Kevin James was the host. I was the comic. They raised over $880,000 in one night.

And I was on (the TV series) "Extreme Make Over" (last) Sunday. They were redoing a house for someone who had stage four cancer and had been ripped off. They (the producers) asked me to do standup for the live audience outside the house. I had to clean up my act a lot -- there were children in the audience -- but I got a standing ovation.

After the show aired, I received an e-mail from Paul Newman's Wild Gang Camp for terminally ill children, asking if I would do a benefit. Now I have a chance to do something else to help people -- all because of what I went through.

Jerry Fink can be reached at 259-4058 or at jerry@lasvegassun.com.