About Us

Cancer made me a member of an elite club I preferred not to belong to.

~ Gilda Radner

Gilda Radner's Legacy

Gilda Radner is best known as an original cast member of Saturday Night Live.  As one of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" she created loveable characters like Roseanne Roseannadanna, Emily Litella and Lisa Loopner.

Gilda's astonishing career was cut short when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1986.  Joanna Bull, Gilda's cancer psychotherapist, introduced her to cancer support groups.  Recognizing how integral the support experience was to her treatment, Gilda's dream was to develop a community where anyone with cancer would receive the kind of support she had found.  In her best-selling book "It's Always Something," Gilda wrote about her experience living with cancer.  She spoke of establishing such a support community in New York when she felt better and said, "There should be a thousand of them."

Gilda's ovarian cancer was diagnosed too late for effective treatment and she died in 1989.  Following her death, Gilda's husband, actor and comedian Gene Wilder, Joanna Bull and many of Gilda's friends founded Gilda's Club in her memory.  The first Club with its signature red door opened in New York City in June 1995.  Under the guidance of Gilda's Club Worldwide, there are more than 20 Clubhouses now open in North America and more in development.