Comedy show's goal is no laughing matter

Christy Manclark and her children, Hannah (top) and Ethan.

Christy Manclark's father is her role model, but for an unusual reason.

In 1994, Ed Chapman had a transplant after his kidneys failed due to polycystic kidney disease. He is now 64 and doing well.

Manclark, 40, a mother of two from Amesbury, also has the hereditary disease and needs a kidney transplant. She's hoping for an outcome as good as her father's.

"He's a good support for Christy and she can compare notes with him," said Nancy McCarthy of Newburyport, Manclark's mother.

Chapman, now living in Wisconsin, will be on hand tomorrow for a fund-raiser called Laughter for Life, being held by Manclark at the Amesbury Playhouse. The aim is to increase awareness of the need for organ donors and also raise money for the National Transplant Assistance Fund, which provides financial aid to patients.

Manclark said the funds could cover uninsured costs associated with a transplant - such as transportation, lost wages, and childcare - for her and a kidney donor.

Both Manclark and her husband, Jim, are veteran theatrical performers, so their natural instinct was to "put on a show" as a benefit.

Along with a group of friends, they will present a 90-minute show of comedy sketches and funny songs from Broadways shows. There also will be a dinner, silent auction, and dancing. The goal is to raise at least $10,000.

Manclark and her younger sister both tested positive for the disease as youngsters. But it wasn't until two years ago that Manclark, who went to the hospital because of back pain, discovered her kidneys were failing. She has been on dialysis four hours a day, three days a week, since November 2007.

Her sister, Sara Chapman, 37, has no symptoms.

Manclark is on the transplant waiting list at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, which could mean a wait of three or more years for a kidney from someone who has died. She is hoping to find a living donor on her own.

"It's faster and you can control it more," said Manclark, who has O-positive blood. "And the kidney lasts longer."

Her mother, co-owner of Natural High Fitness in Newburyport, said she was found to be a compatible donor.

But additional testing a month before the planned surgery showed that some blood vessels attached to her kidneys made an operation too risky.

Manclark said that on a local level, the donor search is about "keeping the word out." Meanwhile, she remains on dialysis and is busy raising her two children, Hannah, 8, and Ethan, 3, with her husband.

"She handles it so much better than anyone else would," said McCarthy. "She rarely complains and has a great sense of humor. She's just a trouper."

And, just as Chapman's is a hopeful tale, McCarthy said, "I think Christy's story will continue and it will be a happy one."

Laughter for Life, Sept 5, at Amesbury Playhouse, 194 Main St. Doors open at 6 p.m., dinner at 7:30 p.m. Tickets $40. Call 978-499-0993 or 978-388-9391. Visit transplantfund.org, link to Find a Patient, and type in Manclark.