Irwin Barker

Irwin Barker is a Canadian comedian and writer. He has written for "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" and "The Rick Mercer Report", and has been nominated for four Gemini Awards as a writer and one as stand-up performer for his 2005 performance at the Halifax comedy Festival. Barker has also been nominated for three Writers’ Guild of Canada Screenwriter’s awards, and won the award in 2008. He is also a regular writer and contributor for CBC Radio's "The Debaters".

In June 2007, Barker was diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma, a rare type of terminal cancer. He joked that his doctor had given him twelve months to live, "but my lawyer says he can get it down to eight".

Since his diagnosis, he has been actively involved as an inspirational speaker on how he has used humour as a vital coping mechanism in his personal fight against cancer. He has been a headline performer at numerous cancer fundraisers, as well as a keynote speaker for conferences dealing with cancer and palliative care.

His first year of cancer treatment was the subject of a CTV documentary entitled “That’s My Time.” The documentary debuted at the 2008 Atlantic Film Festival and was nationally televised in September 2008.

Reactions to Barker’s presentations on comedy and cancer have been overwhelmingly positive. In Barker's own words. “Cancer has my body but not my spirit, and I’ll continue to make jokes, not so much about cancer, but in spite of it.”

External links

* [http://www.irwinbarker.com Official Website]
* [http://www.comedynightlife.com/index.php/Irwin_Barker Irwin Barker on ComedyNightLife.com]
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