Stand-up comedian Ahmed Bharoocha recently appeared on the TBS late-night talk show ‘Conan.?
How’s he going to top that?
By performing right here in Oxford to help raise money to fight juvenile diabetes.
Bharoocha, who is the fiance of 2004 Oxford High graduate Abbey Londer, will be dispensing his unique brand of humor at Merge Studio & Gallery, located at 33 Pleasant St., just west of M-24.
Tickets for the 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 30 show are $20 each and all the profits go directly to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, which is now simply known as JDRF. To reserve tickets for the show, send an e-mail to debbybrown7oxford@yahoo.com.
‘We know that the room can hold 50 (people), so that would raise $1,000, which would be amazing,? said Oxford resident Debby Brown.
Brown, a teacher at OHS since 2000, is organizing the fund-raiser with her 10-year-old son Zander, a fifth-grader at Clear Lake Elementary.
Zander has Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease that destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, a hormone that helps move glucose, or sugar, into the body’s tissues, according to www.webmd.com
Cells use glucose as fuel. Without insulin to move it, the cells starve and glucose builds up in the bloodstream, resulting in high blood sugar, which can lead to dehydration, weight loss and body damage.
Zander was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 9.
‘He wasn’t himself. He was very mopey, very emotional,? Brown said. ‘He had frequent urination. He had to go to the bathroom all the time, no matter where we were. And he basically lost interest in daily activities like playing outside, playing baseball, anything like that.?
As a result of his condition, Zander tests his blood anywhere from five to eight times a day. He receives four to five insulin shots per day.
‘I want to find a cure for it, so we don’t have to go through all the shots and stuff,? he said. ‘It’s not hard to live a life like this, but it would be just a little bit simpler if we didn’t have to do the shots and the blood-testing all the time.?
Brown is very grateful to Bharoocha and Londer for getting involved in her son’s cause.
‘I’m blown away,? she said. ‘I think it’s just amazing that people can be so generous with their time, especially when they only get to come into town occasionally to see their family. (For them) to take time out for my family, I just feel really lucky and very blessed. The fact that (Londer) is still part of my life is pretty awesome.?
Londer is the creator and executive producer of the highly-successful Riot LA: LA’s Alternative Comedy Festival, which made its debut in 2012.
‘I think it’s really nice of (Bharoocha and Londer) because they’re taking time out of their day to come and tell jokes to help raise money for juvenile diabetes,? Zander said.
Zander has been very active in raising funds for JDRF. One way is by selling his paintings. He has been expressing himself with a brush since he was 8 years old.
Brown said he ‘mostly? does animals, ‘but he’ll paint anything anybody asks for.?
‘He’s done cartoon characters,? she said. ‘He’s done everything.?