Today on the blog, actress and Hollywood “dresser to the stars” Diane Weisman shares the personal story behind her battle with breast cancer and Kick Cancer in the Can With Diane, a web series that she started with her videographer husband to provide information and inspiration to others battling the disease. 

Next Monday, she’s hosting a comedy and magic fundraiser featuring George Wendt, Ritch Shydner, Eric Buss, Steve Mittleman, David Zasloff and Porsche Thomas. This evening is designed to help raise funds for post-production of Season One’s episodes.

Diane’s story is an inspirational account of a survivor that refuses to let a little thing like cancer keep her down and we are more than honored to be working with Diane on this very special event. If you’re in Los Angeles next Monday, we HIGHLY recommend that you embrace this incredible opportunity.

Here’s Diane to tell her story:

My mother and her twin sister passed away from breast cancer at the ages of 54 and 53. So I was quite familiar with breast cancer.

Then the scariest words I have ever heard were told to me: “You have breast cancer.” It was August 2010. I was at the age my mom was at when she died too. Was I to have the same fate as my mom and her twin sister?

I decided to educate myself and asked that I be “divinely protected and directed” as I go through this journey. I opened myself up to all types of Eastern medicine—Qi Gong, reflexology, Reiki, acupuncture, yoga, meditation—and Western: chemo, radiation, etc.

I also looked at nutrition: plant-based diet, I dropped meat from my diet and occasionally eat wild caught fish. I took out alcohol, dairy, eggs, white processed flour and sugar. I introduced myself to quinoa, burdock, daikon, macrobiotic diet and other foreign foods. I put in an alkaline water filtration system. My diet was alkaline based. I found out that tumors survive on sugar and an acidic diet. I was not going to give my two little tumors in my right breast any free meals!

I tried everything and was like a sponge soaking up information. I even tried putting three cabbage leaves on my breasts each day for three hours. I did it in the morning while I was in yoga. The only problem was, when my body heated up, the cabbage started to smell like a deli. Why did I do this? I was told cabbage has a cooling effect. Tumors are agitated and have a lot of heat. Cabbage would cool them down. So I tried it. Did it work? Not sure, but I promised myself to remain open to ideas and information.

Along the way my doctor had me see a plastic surgeon and recommended a double mastectomy and removal of my ovaries. This seemed a little drastic for me.

I was working on MIND, BODY AND SPIRIT…not just body.

I visited a wonderful cancer support center in Sherman Oaks, California. called WeSpark. It became my refuge. I crawled in a confused cancer patient and have grown and educated myself each day with their help. This center was started by the late actress Wendy Jo Sperber after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The classes and sessions are all free.

My husband Craig, who is a videographer, started videotaping our doctor appointments because we were bombarded with so much information and couldn’t comprehend it all in one sitting. Some doctors allowed this and some did not. We were very respectful.

We have two sons, one in high school and one in college in Northern California (a psychology major). We realized that cancer affects the whole family and we would be going through this together.

All during this I was still a mom, wife, working, keeping the house in order, handling bills and doing what moms and wives do. Life didn’t stop for me.

I decided on having only a right mastectomy, and I was on the schedule for surgery in March 2011. I gave myself six months to figure this whole situation out. Many of my friends had been diagnosed in the six months and had their surgery and treatments while I was still trying to find myself. People were concerned about my decision to wait, but I felt confident. This is not advice for anyone: it was just my journey and decisions. I believe everyone’s journey is different and I respect that. Be true to yourself. Educate yourself. Empower yourself.

Along the way I was asked to be a survivor speaker at many of the Los Angeles American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life events. I was even nominated for “Hero of the Year”! I loved inspiring and motivating people at these events! It was wonderful to give back to society.

Around December, a couple that we had met in Las Vegas at the NAB production convention invited us to a class regarding starting your own web series. My husband and I went and spoke to the class about our idea to turn this journey into a web series and empower people with all the information that we had learned along the way. It would follow my journey, but also have cooking, humor, celebs, Eastern and Western medicine, tips, relaxation, etc. We were excited to share all of this information. We do not take a side, just present the information.

My husband and I came up with the idea of the name of the show to be Kick Cancer in the Can with Diane. We took the web series class, continued to videotape, educate ourselves, run a house, be parents, work, go to endless doctor appointments, etc.

My surgeon presented my case to the whole hospital board and they agreed unanimously that I should have a mastectomy. I still couldn’t sit well with the mastectomy idea, so I called the oldest of my three brothers and told him how I felt. I couldn’t wrap my head around doing this procedure. He told me, “You have two choices, right?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “Go with the one that has the most love.” And when he said that I suddenly felt empowered and knew what I was going to do. The next day my surgeon called me and said I needed to see the plastic surgeon one more time.

I told my surgeon that I had decided to have a lumpectomy. I thought I heard the phone drop. He told me that I was already on the schedule for the mastectomy. I told him that I have decided to have a lumpectomy and if he was not with me, I would find another surgeon. He asked me to come in and see him. I came in and we agreed on the lumpectomy.

All the time this is going on, the bank is trying to foreclose on our house, my car’s fuel filter cracked and started a fire which resulted in totaling my car, my husband fell off a scaffolding doing camera work and broke both bones in his lower left leg.

But we carried on.

Our modification came through. I bought a 1990 White Corvette convertible from a co-worker, my husband had his surgery…and in March 2011 I had a successful lumpectomy with my amazing surgeon, followed by a summer of radiation. All through this the web series continued.

But because it is a grass roots, out-of-pocket web series, we need to fund raise. We have shot Season One—incredible episodes! Now it is time for post-production (editing, etc.) to get the show out to viewers.

In the future, we would love to tour the U.S. and world, do location shows and visit support centers, conduct interviews with cancer patients, survivors and their family and caregivers. We would love to continue to include humor, music and inspiring interviews from celebs, doctors, Eastern and Western medicine, nutrition, spiritual, etc.

We have so many great episodes: “Making a Nutritional Drink with My Best Friend, George Wendt,” “Exploring Chemo and Radiation,” “Yoga,” “Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone,” “Questions to Ask Your Doctors,” “Free Things for You While Going Through Cancer,” “Healing With Humor,” “Options if You Don’t Have Insurance” and more.

I see this show on OWN or on a cable station. This show is uplifting and appeals to all. Who hasn’t been touched by cancer? We cover all types of cancer without an agenda. We do not preach or tell people what to do. We just share information and enlighten…and do it with entertainment, interviews and love.

Money is a difficulty. Almost all of what we have accomplished has been done with the goodness of volunteers, but we want a quality project to put before our viewers.

There is a quote I have on my screen saver on my iPhone. It says: “REMEMBER THAT GUY THAT GAVE UP? NEITHER DOES ANYBODY ELSE”

We are so close…so we decided to get together and fundraiser with a comedy/magic show! What better way than to laugh and enjoy an evening of entertainment. So I called on many of my friends that I did stand-up comedy with years ago, and have an incredible line up. Each of the people on the show performing have a special place in my heart, and when they were approached to do the show did not hesitate…they said “yes” immediately.

I write this in gratitude and invite ALL TO COME SEE OUR SHOW and laugh!

There will be some amazing opportunity baskets, so BRING SOME CASH & BE A WINNER!

The whole thing happens next Monday, August 5, 2013 at the Fremont Centre Theater at 1000 Fremont Avenue in South Pasadena, California. The show starts at 7:30pm but plan on arriving early for the free wine, soft drinks and live jazz. Comedians include George Wendt (Norm from Cheers), Ritch Shydner, Steve Mittleman, David Zasloff, Betsy Salkind, Porsche Thomas and Gerrence George. There will also be comedic magic performed by Eric Buss of Magic Castle fame and a sneak peak at a Kick Cancer in the Can With Diane episode. Funds raised will go directly towards post-production for two episodes of Season One of Kick Cancer in the Can with Diane. You can pick up your tickets right over here!