Right on the ball

Brian Lobel, a testicular cancer survivor, holds play at McGill to raise awareness of illness

In a world where famed cyclist Lance Armstrong serves as a role model for cancer survivors everywhere, what's an awkward, unathletic and all-around average testicular cancer patient to do?

Brian Lobel has one testicle left and he's about to share his lesser-known story during a play called Ball: One man. One ball. One hour. Lobel predicts his play will make audiences laugh, cry and want to perform a self-exam.

• When: June 9, 2004, 2:45 pm
• Where: Martin Amphitheatre, McIntyre Medical Building (3655 Promenade Sir William Osler)

"Ball was written with the hope of creating a cancer narrative that was honest to my own experience with illness," says Lobel. "Instead of finding something 'deep' or 'inspiring' about illness, I chose to highlight the parts of illness that I found most provocative, funny, vulgar and, hopefully, unique."

Lobel says not all cancer survivors go on to win the Tour de France or to become inspirational speakers, as did Armstrong. "I certainly have not, and I wanted to write a play about the rest of us," says Lobel, a plucky graduate of the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. "I had a story to tell, so I wrote it, and I'm very glad that I did."

Brian Lobel can be reached for interviews at 734-417-6803, 518-439-2301 or brianlobel [at] yahoo.com. For more information on the playwright, please consult http://brianlobel.freeservers.com.