Terri Tate: humorist and two-time cancer survivor

Kristin Coppens

| 1 min read

Terri Tate embodies what it means to be a comedian disguised as a nurse and teacher. A down to earth woman who has become a truly inspirational humorist amidst her cancer struggle, Tate now stresses the importance of adding humor and various health resources to life.
The day before her LaughteRx show, Tate celebrated 20 years of being cancer free. However, in 1991 doctors had given her a 2% chance of survival through her two near-fatal bouts of oral cancer. The cancer took away her voice, as well as more than half of her tongue and lower jaw. Today, Tate has reclaimed her voice and dedicated her life to teaching others about humor, education, and a strong sense of positivity and humility.
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Tate before her LaughteRx show to talk to her about her personal journey and why laughter is so important in the darkest hours. Tate talks about her vision for health and how she laughed throughout her entire cancer journey, even joking about how the punch line was lost when she had to write jokes and conversations on a chalkboard during her struggle and recovery.
Read more on Tate’s vision and life story through her website.
Photo credit: shardayyy

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