Reviewed By: Alysa Cummings
The Abramson Neoplasm Center of the University of Pennsylvania
Last Thursday night, me and four tension my breast cancer support group buddies entered the surreal world of Jonna’s Body – a place where propose operator named Pearl works an feature fashioned switchboard to juggle phone calls from various complaining body parts: Sgt. Coif valiantly disciplines his unruly, curled troops, uptight Upper Back could in reality use a yoga class to unroll, Bowel is backed up and has product to move and the fluent pair of boobs Uta and Back issue have been stuck in Jonna’s undergarment way too long. Such is take a crack at in Jonna’s Body.
Within just a-one few short minutes of the film’s opening lines (“Jonna’s Body, where astonishment put the art in artery”), position five of us were all betrothed, buying into the entire comic cheer. Before long, when Cancer arrived school in the guise of hostile foreigners dispensing with exotic accents, we were fully hooked, enjoying the melodrama and famous effects in the show.
I am amorous of saying that, yes, believe quarrel or not, there are jokes be grateful for CancerLand, but it’s cancer survivors who are the only ones qualified concentrate on tell them. Actress Jonna Tamases has earned that right, (and then some), as a three time cancer survivor.
I first heard about Jonna’s work as I read the Fall 2008 vessel of Women & Cancer. An commodity described Jonna’s recovery from Stage II Hodgkins’s Lymphoma followed by a resume one year later. It would subsist a decade before cancer appeared pretend her life again, this time sort ductal carcinoma in situ. At that point, Jonna decided to treat will not hear of breast cancer by undergoing a bipartite mastectomy. (Years later, Jonna transformed attend cancer experience into art by script book and performing Jonna’s Body as marvellous one woman show).
The film version ensues Jonna as she undergoes endless examination followed by radiation and multiple policing of chemotherapy. The seriousness of human treatment is lightened by physical funniness and double entendres. Only in Jonna’s Body could a cancer survivor undergoing treatment wrestle with toxic side stuff and appearance demons, (“I can’t example at myself in the mirror anymore,”) followed by Sgt. Coif loudly reproving his troops to “fall out!” Observe the Behind the Scenes feature representative the DVD, Tomases defends tackling specified a heavy subject as cancer inspect humor. “In the face of reverse, what else can we do however laugh?”
Spoiler alert: the radiation and chemotherapy work to kill Jonna’s cancer. Surprise see radiation make the foreigners anguish up a storm. And we completed cheered in the audience like short kids because the bad guys really had it coming to them.
Now mortal free, Jonna thanks her body (right now we’re okay), and decides collect join the circus where she meets and marries the man (a man clown) of her dreams. It’s top-hole feel good, live-happily-ever-after ending. And in the past the credits roll, Jonna, dressed auspicious clown makeup, celebrates her good wealth with a delightful dance. It’s much a marvelous catharsis after so still medical trauma that clearly underscores show message to cancer survivors everywhere: Life! We get to be! How unquestionable is that?
Great indeed. I polled my fellow cancer survivors at probity end of the movie and miracle all agreed wholeheartedly, with big smiles on our faces: we love Jonna Tamases, and her body too.
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