Frequently Asked Questions

What is Gilda’s Club?
Gilda’s Club is a place where men, women and children living with cancer, as well as their friends and families, meet to learn how to live with cancer, whatever the outcome.

What is the philosophy of Gilda’s Club?
Gilda’s Club provides an emotional and social support community for people living with cancer as well as their friends and families, as an essential complement to medical care. Fundamental to the Gilda’s Club philosophy is that members are the experts at living with cancer and that the clubhouse environment is warm, welcoming, and non-institutional. Membership is completely free of charge.

What’s the significance of the name “Gilda’s Club”?
Gilda’s Club is named in memory of comedian Gilda Radner, who died from ovarian cancer in 1989. Gilda is best known for her work on NBC’s Saturday Night Live. Her book, It’s Always Something, describes her life with cancer. Gilda once said that cancer gave her “membership in an elite club I’d rather not belong to,” which is where the name “Gilda’s Club” originated.

Who founded Gilda’s Club, and when was it founded?
Gilda’s Club was founded in 1991 by Joanna Bull, Gilda Radner’s cancer psychotherapist, together with Gilda’s husband Gene Wilder, with the help of film critic Joel Siegel, actor/singer Mandy Patinkin and several of Gilda’s other friends. The first Gilda’s Club, including a worldwide training center, opened its signature red door in New York City in 1995.