WASHINGTON -- The Moth has been garnering most of the storytelling spotlight for the last few years. Their weekly podcast and Story Slams around the country have exposed the public to professionals and amateur story tellers from across the globe. Occasionally they'll host special events with a single topic in mind. Their next special event will be staged Tuesday night at the Woolly Mammoth.
"Getting it Off Our Chests: Stories from Breast Cancer Survivors," a co-production between Philips Healthcare and The Moth, will feature three new story tellers. Sally Barnes, Christine Delucchi, Marjorie Stromberg Miller, all breast cancer survivors, have been working with professional storytellers to polish and prime their unique experiences into a well-told piece. Host of the new NPR show "Ask Me Another" and very funny comic, storyteller and author Ophira Eisenberg will MC the event.
The Huffington Post spoke with breast cancer survivor and future storyteller Chris Delucchi about the upcoming show.
The Huffington Post: What made you want to do this?
Christine Delucchi: I'm a breast cancer survivor and any opportunity that I have to help spread the word about preventation or support anything around education of women's health issues, I want to get involved in. It's such a unique concept that Phillips is supporting.
HuffPost: Have you done like this before?
Delucchi: No, I haven't. I do as much as I can to support education for women's health issues. I haven't done any story telling. It's exciting.
HuffPost: How are you preparing?
Delucchi: I'm working with a producer, her name is Kate Tellers. We have had a couple sessions over the last few months and had 3 to 4 in the last few weeks.
HuffPost: What do you hope to achieve with the Wooly Mammoth event?
Delucchi: What I'm hoping to achieve with it is to have an opportunity to tell my story and if I can help one person in the audience, then it's worth doing it. I'm excited about the opportunity.
Making sure women get mammograms is the goal.
HuffPost: How did The Moth get involved?
Delucchi: The Moth was brought to Phillips. They came up with the idea and they selected me based on my story.
HuffPost: What's captivating about your story?
Delucchi: I don't know and I think every person's story is individual to them. I think mine is how I was able to get through this and also run a business. Mine has a unique angle. I had started chemotherapy and decided to take a very alternative route and ended up on a raw food diet and doing everything naturally.
I was able to get to the other side on my cancer diagnosis. I have been healthy for the last four years. I continue on that raw food diet and juicing and wheat grass regime.
It's kind of a different twist. Most people go through the conventional treatment, I chose an alternative way and I'm happy to share my story.
HuffPost: Have you gotten any push back on the more holistic treatment?
Delucchi: Yeah, I think that in any group of people in any topic, you're going to get different objectives.
I think that bottom line is what works with each individual. The fact that my health has maintained is enough to keep me on this path.
HuffPost: But you're not advocating one type of recovery or treatment?
Delucchi: No, not at all. The basis of this is it all started by having a mammogram. It's all about finding things early in the process. The earlier we find things the more likely recovery can happen.
The path each individual will take is important to each individual.
I don't think it's a one-size fits all treatment for everyone.
"Getting it Off Our Chests: Stories from Breast Cancer Survivors" takes place at the Woolly Mammoth on Tuesday, June 6 at 7:30 p.m. The event is free. To be added to the list, visit the event page.