Comedian and cancer survivor Robert Schimmel headlines charity event.
New York, May 1, 2008 – The third annual Stinky Ball saw its best year yet, with an incredible $140,000 raised for the Foundation for Thymic Cancer Research (FTCR).
Held at Carolines on Broadway comedy club, this year’s event focused on creating smiles and memories through the theme “Live, Love, Laugh”.
Guests enjoyed an open bar, cocktail hour, sit-down dinner and silent auction, as well as a stand-up performance by renowned comedian and cancer survivor Robert Schimmel.
Schimmel, who recently performed the same skit on NBC’s Late Night with Conan O’Brien, was diagnosed with Stage III non-Hodgkins lymphoma in June 2000. Luckily, in December of the same year, doctors confirmed his cancer was in remission. Schimmel advocates using humor to overcome obstacles, and has since written Cancer on $5 a Day* *(chemo not included): How Humor Got Me Through the Toughest Journey of My Life (Da Capo Press, 2008).
The Barbara Neibauer Celebration of Life Award, named after the FTCR co-founder, was given to Dr. Patrick Loehrer, a central figure in the diagnosis and treatment of thymomas. He has been professor of medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine since 1983 and has been named the Kenneth Wiseman Professor of Medicine. Under the direction of Dr. Loehrer, the Indiana University Cancer Center has considerable expertise in the treatment of thymomas and thymic malignancies. Dr. Loehrer generously fields hundreds of calls and emails annually from physicians and patients worldwide to provide diagnosis, treatment, and consultation services.
The fourth annual Stinky Ball is scheduled for May 7, 2009 at Opera nightclub.
About Stinky Ball
The Stinky Ball was named after a three-year-old boy called his father’s thymus cancer “Stinky Ball”. The event was created by the FTCR to raise awareness and funds for thymic cancer research. For more information, please visit www.Thymic.org or www.StinkyBall.org.
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