For the third year in a row, Peterborough theatre icons Linda Kash and Megan Murphy will once again be clad in yellow and purple tracksuits for a spirit-raising fundraiser in support of cancer care at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC).
Taking place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 7th at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough, Cancer Takedown offers an evening of song, storytelling, humour, and connection “for anyone touched by cancer.”
“An event like this aims to bring people together to say we’re not alone and we’ve got people around us,” says Amy Kemp, co-founder of Cancer Takedown. “It helps when we share with others how we’re feeling and how we’re doing and we’re honest about it.”
First held in 2022, the event — which Kash calls the most “uplifting” annual fundraiser she hosts — was created by Kemp and her husband Rick after his diagnosis with metastatic kidney cancer in 2019 and then CNS lymphoma in 2021.
“There is a mental and emotional burden that comes along with having cancer, and if we shed some light on that, bring attention to it, and create these events and spaces where people can talk freely about it, then the more you learn and bring awareness to it,” says Kemp.
“Our goal is creating a brand that appeals to the very human insight of what having cancer feels like, and generating awareness and empathy for it — the struggles, the optimism, the rollercoaster of emotions, the dread, the hope — and uniting people through this shared experience.”
VIDEO: Cancer Takedown 2023
Kemp assures the fundraiser approaches the cancer experience with “humour, lightness, and a lot of hope.” But, she says, it’s also honest.
“It helps to hear people talk about it, because often cancer is something that people still don’t talk about a ton,” she says. “We don’t ask people who have cancer because we’re worried about bringing it up and don’t want to be a downer or make them feel sad or scare them. But in our experience, certainly you need to talk about it, and it helps when people around you ask.”
The event will include music by Kate Suhr, Melissa Payne, Kate Brioux, Denise Oucharek, and Anthony Bastianon, along with a guest performance by The Weber Brothers.
“Our musicians have all been impacted in some way, shape, or form by this disease and they’re very thoughtful in their approach,” says Kemp. “They choose songs that really resonate, and though they’re not written about cancer, they really touch on some of the feelings and emotions that many people with cancer have. They mix rally cries and songs with others that are more reflective.”
Playing between performances will be videos featuring the musicians and other community members sharing stories about their own experiences with cancer. Those at the event in past years can be assured this year will offer all new videos and stories.
“There’s no shortage of cancer patients, unfortunately,” Kemp says. “It’s an opportunity to get a little deeper into their personal stories around how cancer has made them feel.”
Kemp adds that the stories will all centre around the mental toll rather than the physical burden of the disease.
“The physical is what is usually asked about — ‘What are you going through?’, ‘What’s your treatment like and do you feel sick?’ — but we try to bring attention to asking people more about how they feel and give them an opportunity to just let it out,” she says. “An event like this brings that to the forefront in a way that feels okay and safe and hopeful and there’s a camaraderie and community that comes from going through some really dark times.”
With Cancer Takedown now an annual event in Peterborough, Kemp is hopeful that it could inspire other communities.
“I think a lot of communities could benefit from the same event, so hopefully that’s in our future to expand out,” she says. “The more attention you bring to it, the more awareness we have, and ideally we get to a place where there’s a mental health professional on every person’s oncology team that can walk them through the mental process and the emotional process, just like we have great care on the physical side.”
If there wasn’t enough reason to come together for a good cause, as Kemp says, “Megan and Linda in velour track suits will never disappoint.”
Tickets for Cancer Takedown are $39 for general admission and $54 for assigned table seating and are available at markethall.org.
