The lounge at Olds' Boston Pizza was so busy on the evening of April 20 that off-duty servers had to step in to help dish out food and drinks.
The large, cheerful crowd of more than 120 people was at the restaurant for the Boob Tour comedy show in support of Andrea Barker, a 31-year-old Olds woman battling follicular lymphoma.
Founded in 2007 through a collaboration of comedians, the Boob Tour is a North American fundraising project aimed at raising money for breast cancer.
The Olds Boston Pizza has hosted the tour for three years and because Barker is a former employee, the restaurant decided to dedicate all the profits from this year's show to her fight against cancer, said Angela Sutherland, the restaurant's owner who also served as a local coordinator for the tour.
Along with stand-up performances from a handful of comedians from Calgary, the evening included an auction featuring items from local businesses, a raffle for a baby blanket made by Barker's sister and sales of Boob Tour merchandise.
By the end of the sold-out event, after proceeds from 117 tickets and the evening's profits were tallied up and cash from the auction was counted, Sutherland announced that $9,000 was raised for Barker.
Surrounded by her sisters, father and scores of friends, Barker, who was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma more than two years ago, was in good spirits at the event and said the turnout for the evening was "very humbling.î
"You don't think that you touch that many people and yet here they all are,î she said.
Barker added the most recent scans for cancer "are clean,î meaning there are no signs of the disease in her body.
Her cancer, however, is an "aggressive lymphoma,î she said, and there's still a chance it could return.
But she's staying optimistic that she has the disease on the ropes and she will remain cancer-free.
"It's going to stay that way,î Barker said.
In the meantime, she is continuing chemotherapy and natural medications in preparation of travelling to a clinic in Mexico specializing in conventional and alternative cancer treatments this summer.
Money raised for Barker over the past several months will go towards the treatment at the clinic as well as travel and accommodation costs.
She said if she remains healthy, she'll likely head south for the treatments in August.
"I'm just really wanting to get there.î
Each treatment session in Mexico is roughly three weeks long and costs between $7,000 and $9,000 US.
Prior to the Boob Tour event, the community had raised roughly $61,000 for Barker's cause, said Jaeme Redgwell, Barker's sister.
Barker's thoughts during the Boob Tour show, however, were about enjoying time with friends and thanking them for their support.
"Tonight, I'm feeling quite good,î she said. "This stupid disease touches so many people's lives and they just want to see something good come of this.î
