South Jersey attorney finds new calling as stand-up comedian after breast cancer diagnosis

VOORHEES, New Jersey (WPVI) -- They say laughter is the best medicine and that certainly rang true for a South Jersey woman when her breast cancer experience helped her find a new calling in stand-up comedy.

Now she's using it to help others in beating the odds of breast cancer.

"I could have the CBD and THC that I wanted and it was like nobody cared!" says Queen Stewart at a comedy fundraiser in New Castle, Delaware.

Two years ago, you'd have found Queen arguing a case in court, not pitching jokes at comedy night.

But just before her 36th birthday, the young attorney was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.

"When I had my double mastectomy, only a month after being diagnosed, they pulled out 19 lymph nodes and 13 were cancerous," said Queen.

And side effects short-circuited the chemotherapy plan.

"I started to suffer severely with neuropathy - tingling and numbness of your hands and feet," she said. "It was like needles in your feet."

With life at a standstill, Queen had time to take stock.

"What can you do now, faced with what you're facing, to still be happy and find joy?" she thought, again and again. "What would you love to do?"

Between rounds of chemo, she took a comedy course, working on her jokes at local open mic nights.

Queen says her humor draws from her family and everyday life, especially the quirks of being a cancer patient.

She recalls how her husband and plastic surgeon talked as if they were at a car dealership.

"The plastic surgeon's office - I'm there and my husband, and he keeps asking about the upkeep of my new boobs. That's funny," she said.

She always mentions being a survivor, and honors others in her audiences.

Out of her experience, Queen also launched Create Urgency, aimed at everyone, with a message she regrets not finding before cancer.

"Create urgency in your life, to find joy - now. Don't wait for tragedy to strike," she said.

Queen Stewart will bring her humor and life lessons to the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk on Sunday, October 15, as a survivor speaker.

The walk at Jack Curtis Stadium in Cooper River Park in Camden begins at 8:30 a.m.

For more information on the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk or to register for the event, CLICK HERE.