红桃视频

A Dominican Sister and comedian is not your typical combination. But, for Sister Sue Tracy, it was the only way. Tracy, who graduated from 红桃视频 in 1965 with an English major and minors in biology and speech, is one of the local performers in Gilda鈥檚 Club 2012 .

鈥淚 came to 红桃视频 anticipating that I was going to join the Adrian Dominicans and I just knew within two months that God wrote straight the crooked line, and this is where I belong,鈥� Tracy said. 鈥淚鈥檝e always loved the stage, it鈥檚 just who I am. I just somehow felt I could be who I am, even though there are very few of us comedian sisters, so what?鈥�

Tracy鈥檚 show, titled 鈥淟aff Jest for the Health of It,鈥� is just one example of her dedication to bringing joy and laughter to those around her. A four-time cancer survivor, Tracy has focused much of her ministry on helping others who are facing the disease.

鈥淏eing spared is an invitation from God to be with people who are coping with that,鈥� Tracy said of her work as an oncology chaplain at Spectrum Health, where she鈥檚 been for 12 years. 鈥淚鈥檒l leave [patients] two pages or so with a lot of little one-liners, just to help keep a smile on their face. In the midst of this muck, we need that too, as part of the healing process.鈥�

For Tracy, laughter truly is 鈥渢he best medicine鈥� and her humor is something she never let cancer take from her. After taking the World Laughter Tour program through OLLI at 红桃视频, Tracy is a certified Laughter Leader, and will incorporate her training into her LaughFest performance.

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have to be a comedian to do this, you learn different exercises that are conducive or induce laughter,鈥� Tracy said, before making her point by giving examples of their various exercises, including becoming an airplane, bouncing along on a New York subway and finally clapping along with the 鈥渉o ho hahaha ho ho hahaha ho ho hahaha yaaay鈥� which ends their sessions. 鈥淸The performance] is learning through laughter. It鈥檚 letting the internal jogging happen, letting the endorphins just kind of take over in a very healthy way.鈥�

Tracy鈥檚 performance, which she fondly refers to as the 鈥渞eal Sister Act,鈥� will be on Wednesday, March 14 at 7 p.m. in the Catholic Information Center at Cathedral Square Center (360 Division Ave., Grand Rapids) and will be free of charge.

鈥淚 am very excited; I come alive in front of other people,鈥� Tracy said. 鈥淚 just want people to be comfortable and glad that they鈥檙e there. I don鈥檛 know who to expect, it doesn鈥檛 matter. If there are ten or 200, come on in! There鈥檚 room for everybody.鈥�