INNISFAIL -- It has been a long road for American comedian Steve Mazan, a much longer one than he originally envisioned almost 15 years ago.
In 2005 he was told by doctors he had Stage 4 intestinal cancer and his best "worst case scenario" of life ahead was maybe having another five years.
"There was actually a documentary made about the five years; one of the things I wanted to do in those five years, if I only had five years, was to get on the David Letterman show," said Mazan. "So I spent those five years doing that and a couple of filmmakers made a documentary called, Dying to do Letterman, about my trip."
The Dying to do Letterman documentary was finished in 2011. It won many awards. Best of all Mazan, now 48, is still very much alive. He's not only making people laugh, he's laughing while doing it.
The Los Angeles-based comic is a cancer survivor, and he wants to share his comedic talent with those who may need it more than most. He's a huge supporter of The Boob Tour. Several years ago James Uloth, another Los Angeles comedian, convinced him to join forces and add his talent to the show.
Mazan, who has done more than a dozen Canadian shows for The Boob Tour, headlined this year's 8th annual local show at the Innisfail Royal Canadian Legion on April 3 with Calgary comedians Matt Foster and Dale Ward.
"It is one of those things where I get to share a little bit of my story and a lot of laughs with other survivors," said Mazan. "People say laughter is the best medicine. I don't know if it is the best medicine, but it sure is a reset button for your psyche and for your thinking.
"To go out and laugh and forget your problems for an hour and a half is one of the best things you can do," he added. "There are studies that say it is incredibly helpful with your health. It may not be the best medicine but it is medicine."
The April 3 show at the Innisfail Legion was once again organized by Trish Proctor, with committed support from others, including her uncles Ed and Danny Rieberger. Proctor lost her mother to cancer. The Rieberger brothers lost a 52-year-old sister to breast cancer. Both their parents were afflicted with cancer, while another brother Michael is a colon cancer survivor.
Ed Rieberger, 55, is also a cancer survivor. Ten years ago his wife found a mole on his back. It was diagnosed as skin cancer. The mole was surgically removed. He has been cancer free for five years.
"If you see something like that just check it out. It doesn't hurt anything. It doesn't cost anything. You never know. Prevention is great," said Ed, who at 55 is Danny's younger brother. "Early detection, so you don't have to go through chemo. I am quite thankful I did not have to go through that route."
Danny Rieberger is devoted to helping his niece Trish in any way he can to make sure each of the eight Boob Tour shows in Innisfail has been a success. He said each event over the past eight years has raised about $5,000 for the Central Alberta Cancer Centre in Red Deer.
"We are trying to do it so it is a local bang for your buck. If anybody we know or ourselves or anybody in this area gets cancer they are going to be treated here," said Danny.
Proctor said she never loses her optimism that every Boob Tour event in Innisfail will be as successful as the first show eight years ago.
"It's the amount of people that show up every year for it. They are the reason we keep doing it," she said, adding a typical show attracts about 150 people. "I think every single person in this room has been affected by cancer one way or another."
In the meantime, Steve Mazan, who was the last of the three comedians to enter the legion for the Boob Tour show on April 8, finishes his media interview, and of course he is still laughing. It was eight years ago when his acclaimed documentary, Dying to do Letterman, was released, a story inspired by his dream of performing a comedy routine on the Late Show with Letterman.
And was that dream ever realized?
"I don't want to spoil the ending to it. It had a happy ending. I will say that," said Mazan with an uproarious chuckle.
"And I am here too."
