Cancer, Coping and Comedy

Editor's note: Robert Schimmel died Sept. 3, 2010 from injuries suffered in a car accident in Phoenix. Here is his obituaryin The New York Times.

In times past, people were a lot more circumspect when it came to talking about disease. Most professionals think it's a health trend - we're far more open than we once were when it comes to illness. But laughing about having cancer? Correspondent Vince Gonzales says some serious giggles might be just what the doctor ordered.