Cyndi Freeman is a storyteller and burlesque performer here in New York, and she’s the person that got me into seeing burlesque shows. I didn’t really get it at first (beyond the obvious) but when I saw her side of it, I was sold.

Our friends Ben Lillie and Erin Barker run a spectacular science-themed storytelling show. podcast and online magazine called The Story Collider. A few weeks ago, they ran a version of Cyndi’s transformation into brassy burlesque performer after a breast cancer scare on their site.

The thing is, not only can you hear the story from the podcast, you can also see a great comic inspired by Cyndi’s story, drawn by Tammy Stellanova.

Here’s the audio of Cyndi’s story: The Story Collider: Side Effects

You can see the full version of the comic here, with a few samples below: Cyndi Freeman & Tammy Stellanova’s “Side Effects”

I would be remiss in my role as a relentless show pimp if I didn’t mention that Cyndi’s performing at And I Am Not Lying at Union Hall next Tuesday, March 6th and at SXSW on Saturday, March 10th in Palm Park from 11AM- 6PM.

Check out the sample comic pages below … one here, one after the jump.

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In honor of breast cancer awareness month, I thought I’d share this video of my personal story with you about my breast cancer scare and how having the BRCA2 genetic mutation (the Breast Cancer Gene) lead to me twirling tassels on the burlesque stage.

I don’t want to give too much away here, so all I’ll say is that I am not having my breasts removed. I like my breasts. A LOT. My boobs are fabulous and I’m keeping them.

I performed this story at The Story Collider at Pacific Standard in Park Slope — also home to our show The Standard Issues

Side Effects – Cyndi Freeman from The Story Collider on Vimeo.