FAQs

Q. Is Gilda's Club only for women cancer patients? 

A. No. The program is open to men, women and children who may be living with cancer, as well as their families and friends. Gilda's Club is for everyone living with cancer, no matter where they are in their cancer experience.

Q. How much does it cost to join?

A. There is no charge to join Gilda's Club Western New York. Since our members are the "experts" at learning to live with cancer, it's not appropriate to assess fees of what is given freely, heart to heart. But to enable people living with cancer to enjoy club membership without cost, we sustain a vigorous fundraising campaign within our community to raise the annual budget.

Q. Aren't there other organizations in WNY that provide these same services?

A. Not really. Ours is a holistic approach, which means it provides not just wellness but also emotional and social support; not just for the person diagnosed with cancer but for the entire family and friends. Under one roof you can come to a support group, attend a lifestyle or educational workshop, participate in social activities or just come to the clubhouse to relax.

Q. How does Gilda's Club differ from Ronald McDonald House, Kevin Guest House or Hope Lodge?

A. These organizations are residential. No one stays overnight at Gilda's Club WNY.

Q. What is Gilda's Club?

A. Gilda's Club is a network of affiliate clubhouses where men, women and children living with cancer, as well as their friends and families, meet to learn how to live with cancer, whatever the outcome. 

Q. What is the philosophy of Gilda's Club?

A. Gilda's Club seeks to provide an emotional and social support community for people living with cancer as well as their friends and families, as an essential complement to medical care. Fundamental to the Gilda's Club philosophy is that membership is completely free of charge, and that the clubhouse environment is warm, welcoming, and non-institutional.

Q. What is the role of Gilda's Club Worldwide?

A. Gilda's Club Worldwide is the headquarters of the Gilda's Club network. The Worldwide staff works with communities around the world to start and sustain Gilda's Clubs and to advocate for the importance of emotional and social support for anyone touched by cancer. Gilda's Club Worldwide and its individual affiliates rely entirely on the philanthropic contributions of individuals, foundations and corporations to fulfill their missions. 

Q. What's the significance of the name "Gilda's Club"?

A. Gilda's Club is named in memory of comedian Gilda Radner, who died from ovarian cancer in 1989. Gilda is best known for her work on NBC's Saturday Night Live. Her book, It's Always Something, describes her life with cancer. Gilda once said that cancer gave her "membership to an elite club I'd rather not belong to," which is where the name "Gilda's Club" originated.

Q. Who founded Gilda's Club, and when was it founded?

A. Gilda's Club was founded in 1991 by Joanna Bull, Gilda Radner's cancer psychotherapist, together with Gilda's husband Gene Wilder, with the help of film critic Joel Siegel, actor/singer Mandy Patinkin and several of Gilda's other friends. The first Gilda's Club, including a worldwide training center, opened its signature red door in New York City in 1995.