Despite their differences, the two will soon combine onstage at the Oamaru Opera House.
Jo Pendergast, a psychiatrist and cancer patient will perform her touring show, Cancer and Cartwheels, in Oamaru tonight.
Performing under the stage name of Jo Ghastly, Dr Pendergast will tell the story of her "cancer survivorship" and treatment.
As a stand-up comedian she tried to find the funny side and use humour "to get through difficult times", including her cancer treatment.
"People might be surprised by how funny a show about cancer can be."
Cartwheels were something Dr Pendergast was always good at, but lost the ability to do after chemotherapy.
It took a time and practice and now three years on from her diagnosis she can land a cartwheel again.
About 80% of the show was comedy with important health information spread throughout.
One skit involved Dr Pendergast’s war between her uneven breasts.
She was left an asymmetric chest post-surgery, which she compared to being of different generations — a "millennial boob" and "boomer boob".
The aim of the show was to approach the topic sensitively, while telling her story and sharing the "untalkable" parts of cancer.
She wrote the show to be enjoyable for "anyone open-minded", not just those who were affected by the disease.
People going through cancer treatment had told her how grateful they were to see their experiences on stage.
Her previous comedy show The Cool Mum, about parenting teenagers, has toured across New Zealand and Australia.
