Laughing at cancer.

There's nothing funny about cancer. But for Tania Katan, playwright and two-time breast cancer survivor, laughter is important medicine. "Humor pro vides a way to transcend icky situations," she says. "And I definitely prefer the pain from laughing too hard to the pain of a mastectomy."

Katan is the author of My One-night Stand With Cancer (Alyson, $15.95), an unconventional memoir about losing both of her breasts by age 31. You won't find a glossy self-help manual here, What you'll get is side-splitting tales of psychotic exes, fantasies about hot chemotherapy nurses, and curiosity about whether the Breast Clinic could actually be a lesbian mixer--all within the context of serious matters like fending off death and redefining body image.

Katan, who jokes that she's Lance Armstrong's lesbian sister, runs 10K's to raise money for breast cancer research-topless. By proudly exposing mastectomy scars and no breasts, she presents "a healthy body in a different form."

"There's something freeing about knowing you can kick cancels ass a few times," says Katan. "It frees you up to live your life with more urgency, humor, and love."