Clean comedy showcase raising money for cancer patients

Laughter was the only thing holding the tears back.

Throughout his career as a pastor, Brad Miller had encountered countless people struggling with personal challenges tragedies and health problems. He saw first-hand the power of laughter and positivity.

So when the Greenwood resident was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year, he needed to put an optimistic mindset to use in his own life.

“A lot of people who had a good attitude about things, even if it was bad, did better,” he said. “There’s a biblical verse I think about, from (the Book of) Proverbs: ‘A cheerful heart is good medicine.’”

Miller has focused his attention on helping others struggling with cancer. Partnering with HeavenEarth Church in Whiteland, he has organized the Clean Comedy Cancer Benefit. Comedian Rik Roberts, a nationally touring artist known for his role as a Barney Fife impersonator in the film “Mayberry Man” will present his insightful, hilarious yet family-friendly comedy.

All proceeds from the event benefit Stand Up for Cancer, a nonprofit dedicated to raising funds to accelerate the pace of groundbreaking research that can get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives.

“The thing with cancer is, everybody has been impacted by it. There’s not a person you can find who hasn’t been personally impacted by it,” Miller said.

After retiring from ministry in July 2022, Miller was prepared to start a new phase of his life. He and his wife made plans to travel, spend more time with their grandchildren and more.

But when Miller went to the doctor for his regular medical checkup, those plans were put on hold. Blood tests showed an elevated level of prostate-specific antigens, a marker for potential prostate cancer. Further tests revealed he did, in fact, have cancer.

The diagnosis upended Miller’s life.

“When I first got the diagnosis, I had to laugh to keep from crying. A little bit of denial, a little bit of devastation, and I handed the phone to my wife so she could deal with it while I said, ‘This isn’t really happening,’” he said. “But that quickly transformed into, what am I going to do about this now.”

Miller learned his diagnosis two days after Christmas. During the holidays, he had spent some time with his granddaughters, ages 2 and 5. The cancer diagnosis weighed heavy on his mind, and he admits now he was feeling sorry for himself.

As he watched them eat lunch at McDonald’s, he was struck with a thought — what would they be like when they were 18 and 21?

“I had the vision, I could almost see us sitting at a restaurant at those ages, and I thought, OK, I have to be there with them,” he said.

Miller’s initial prognosis wasn’t very good; without acting, he’d likely only have a few years to live. So he steeled himself to do whatever it took to beat the disease.

He had successful surgery to remove much of the cancer in April, even if his doctors warned him that they were unable to remove all cancerous spots. The likelihood of it returning was high, Miller said.

Still, he focused on staying positive.

An active podcaster, Miller started a new program: Cancer and Comedy. He tapped into his experience helping others as a pastor, as well as using his doctorate in transformational leadership, focusing on helping people move from an unhappy or bad state into a more positive space.

“I did a self-assessment — here are my assets,” Miller said. “I decided to start a podcast, based on that initial reaction of laughing to keep from crying.”

The podcast’s tagline is “shifting from the grim to the grin.”

“Grim is cancer and all of that stuff, the grin is uplifting stories and things about this experience,” he said.

Through the podcast, Miller made connections with fellow podcasters, as well as health care officials and comedians. Bringing all three together, someone suggested if he’d ever considered putting together a live comedy event.

“I knew after starting the podcast, one of the things I really wanted to do was raise awareness about cancer and raise some funds for it,” he said.

Miller had experience during his time as a pastor organizing large events, such as Christian rock concerts and large conferences. He started asking around to line up acts, and was introduced to Roberts.

The fundraising comedian and actor performs on the “clean” comedy circuit, tailoring his act for fans of all ages while introducing aspects of his faith. He’s also a cancer survivor himself, which lined up perfectly with the mission of the cancer benefit, Miller said.

“He’s a traveling national comic, and he was going to be Noblesville the morning of Nov. 4. He said he could get here for a show in the evening,” Miller said.

With the headlining act all set, the next challenge was finding a place to hold the event. Miller found an eager partner in HeavenEarth Church. The congregation had emphasized partnering with different organizations to benefit the community, working with groups such as Resources of Hope, which provides support for foster families in the area and is housed in the church’s lower level.

HeavenEarth Church has done outreach to help individuals struggling with substance use disorder, homelessness and more. After the tornado tore through Whiteland in the spring, the church was active in helping clean up and support those who were impacted.

“Pastor Ross (Stackhouse) is super. He’s really reaching out to everybody who needs help of any kind,” said James Fisher, a longtime member of the church who is helping Miller with the comedy showcase. “It’s really good for the area.”

Stackhouse offered Miller use of the church at no cost. The Clean Comedy Cancer Benefit was set.

“These were the signs I was looking for,” Miller said.

Roberts will be the keynote speaker, while Dave Jackson, a renowned podcaster and comedian himself, will also be performing. Tickets are $22, though Daily Journal readers can receive 15% off using a special promo code, “DAILYJOURNAL.”

Tickets are available online and at the door — cash, credit and checks are accepted.

“I’m hoping this will lead to other community-oriented things around health care and cancer in particular,” Miller said. “We want to do something on a regular basis.”

IF YOU GO

Clean Comedy Cancer Benefit

What: A fundraiser for Stand Up to Cancer featuring comedy by Rik Roberts and Dave Jackson. The event is sponsored by the “Cancer and Comedy” podcast.

When: 7 p.m. Saturday

Where: HeavenEarth Church, 309 E. Main St., Whiteland

Tickets: $22; a 15% discount is available using the promo code “DAILYJOURNAL.” Admission can be purchased online at CleanComedyCancerBenefit.com, or at the door — cash, credit and checks accepted.

Information: Contact Brad Miller at 317-445-8211