A Community within a Community

Gilda’s Club Memphis is a nonprofit organization devoted to offering emotional and social support services for people living with cancer. We were founded here in the Mid-South by seven Memphis women who understood from their own experiences that people who face cancer need more than just excellent clinical care. The universe of cancer patients and everyone in their orbits requires support, and encouragement and hope. They need to know where to find services. They need to be surrounded by those who understand and who care. That’s what sets Gilda’s club apart.

Such support systems were scattered and inconsistent back in 1985 when doctors diagnosed Gilda Radner with ovarian cancer. When the beloved Saturday Night Live cast member died in 1989, her friends and husband created an organization that could support others going through a cancer journey. They named it Gilda’s club in her honor and because she called having cancer a club to which no one wanted to belong. The signature red door at clubs throughout the company commemorates Gilda’s vibrancy.

Since 2009, Gilda’s Club and The Wellness Community have merged to form the Cancer Support Community. And depending upon what part of the country you’re in, the organization may have one name or the other.