GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — As celebrities flock to New York City this week to commemorate the 50th anniversary of “Saturday Night Live,” thousands of Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids members are reflecting on the lasting legacy that one of SNL’s original cast members continues to create.
“Gilda Radner was an incredible talent, and she was someone who was unfortunately diagnosed with ovarian cancer,” said Wendy Wigger, president and CEO of Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids. “And it was through her cancer diagnosis that she became connected to a community of individuals who were also on a cancer journey.”
Radner was a member of SNL between 1975 and 1980. She died from cancer in 1989, but not before stating publicly that cancer makes you a member of a club no one really wants to join.
Years later, Gilda’s Clubs popped up around the nation. West Michigan’s club opened its doors to the public Feb. 15, 2001. It has served as community center for support groups and emotional help to all those who are fighting cancer and grief and their loved ones who accompany them.
Gilda’s Club in Grand Rapids. (Feb. 14, 2025)
One such member is Richard Benoit, who walked through the club’s red doors in the winter of 2021.
“In the United States, I am one of a thousand that have this form of cancer,” he said.
Benoit, who was training for his next marathon, was diagnosed with cardiac sarcoma after he noticed himself struggling with simple tasks.
“I couldn’t run around the block, and so I went into the emergency room,” he said.
Since his diagnosis, Benoit has endured several surgeries and chemotherapy. While his zest for life hasn’t been dimmed, he told News 8 his membership at Gilda’s Club is priceless.
“Just being able to see how other people are dealing with (cancer) kind of gives you some insight into, is this something that would work for me? Or not,” he said. “It’s different talking with people who are in the same situation. We can all relate and empathize directly because we are going through the same thing. We are all facing the same emotional issues, the same physical issues.”
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