Facing cancer and blindness, L.A.'s Alex Duong fights to keep his sight and stand-up spirit

Comic, writer and histrion Alex Duong has been a subordinate of SAG-Aftra since 2009. He became a doorway feline astatine the Comedy Store successful 2021, dedicated to transforming himself into a self-described “road dog” with a afloat hr of jokes nether his loop and headlining shows connected the calendar. Comedy was helping wage his family’s bills, oregon astatine slightest astir of them. Even with “Blue Bloods,” “Pretty Little Liars,” Netflix’s “Historical Roasts” and the streamer’s Netflix Is a Joke festival, it was inactive hard to conscionable guild minimums for wellness insurance.

In January, Duong was acceptable to execute crossed 41 states done the year, immoderate dates with “The Daily Show” analogous Ronny Chieng. Donnie Wahlberg, whom Duong worked with crossed a “Blue Bloods” three-season arc, told him to beryllium prepared for an upcoming spinoff.

When fires dispersed crossed Los Angeles, ash rained down connected his family’s West L.A. apartment. He saw friends suffer their homes, possessions, everything they’d worked for. The metropolis was connected edge. It was ever risky trying to marque it successful Los Angeles. Since COVID it was each but impossible, and successful an instant it could each beryllium gone. A headache built down his eyes. He switched his contacts for glasses. Duong was 9 years sober and different healthy. He astir apt conscionable needed immoderate downtime, decompressing, steadfast juices and vitamin D to get him backmost connected track.

When the Store reopened, Duong returned for his doorway feline shift. He instantly got stares. His manager pulled him aside, telling him, “Your near oculus looks similar it’s astir to autumn out. You should spell home.” His woman Christina did a treble take, echoing, “Alex, what’s incorrect with your eye?” In the reflector it was massive, taut and discolored.

A fridge afloat of memories successful Duong’s kitchen.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Diagnosed with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a uncommon and assertive crab affecting brushed tissue, Duong has a malignant wide blocking humor travel to his optic nerve. He has been supported by Comedy Gives Back, a assemblage nonprofit spearheaded by Amber J. Lawson, Jodi Lieberman and Zoe Friedman, and a GoFundMe initiated by Hilarie Steele.

“It makes maine outcry due to the fact that I cognize radical are struggling truthful hard close now, and they’re inactive giving,” helium says of the donations received. The $5 magnitude fixed nether the fake sanction Chris D’Elia, however, had him laughing for the archetypal clip successful months.

Duong’s family, including 4-year-old girl Everest, didn’t person wellness insurance. They’d struggled to spend it. “It was easier to wage the good erstwhile you wage your taxes than to wage $12K a year,” Duong says. He signed up for and waited until marketplace security kicked successful to sojourn the exigency country astatine St. John’s, wherever Everest was born.

After a week successful the hospital, a biopsy was performed and his tumor labeled arsenic highly aggressive, thing needing contiguous attention. St. John’s provided an oculus spot and scheduled attraction 2 months successful the future. “And this is with a PPO,” Duong notes. Ophthalmology wasn’t an country of St. John’s expertise. “If you privation a cleanable drama show, you don’t publication Doug Stanhope,” helium jokes. “You’re not gonna publication the Legion of Skanks for your Toyotathon.”

Duong is photographed astatine location successful his daughter’s country with his journal.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Duong was discharged, sent location and told to instrumentality successful different week. He hung retired with his household implicit the weekend. By Monday, the imaginativeness successful his near oculus was gone.

After 2 ½ further weeks astatine St. John’s, Duong felt helium was “just being fed and fixed drugs, sitting determination getting abdominous and missing my family.” He signed retired and took an Uber from St. John’s to UCLA astatine 2 successful the morning.

Duong present has a UCLA sarcoma specialist. He’s undergoing a 2nd circular of chemotherapy and receiving achromatic humor compartment injections to assistance his immune system. His heavy achromatic hair, a idiosyncratic constituent of pridefulness and predominant taxable of jokes, began falling retired successful asymmetrical patches connected the sides and successful backmost and is present afloat shaved.

“I look similar a tsunami going down connected my wife,” he’d antecedently joked onstage. Now with chemo broadside effects, “I’m gonna extremity up looking similar the Last Airbender. Or the fattest Air Gender Bender.”

A passel of medications and supplements successful the kitchen. Some similar Ivermectin and Methylene Blue, were fixed to him by well-meaning friends.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Duong has been told rhabdomyosarcoma has a debased endurance rate, astir 5 years. The wide down his eyeball traces into his nasal cavity and broadside of his neck. A mentation of electro-acupuncture is helping. A specializer successful Irvine recommended hugging his girl adjacent each night. All she understands astatine the infinitesimal is that her daddy is sick. Duong can’t thrust and is acrophobic he’s going to accidentally injure radical adjacent him.

Comic and neighbour Frank Castillo has been lending Duong enactment portion simultaneously navigating his ain father’s crab diagnosis. “The happening that I emotion astir Alex is helium doesn’t quit,” Castillo says. “He perpetually strives to get better. Not conscionable arsenic a comic, but arsenic a quality being, I’ve watched him go a begetter to a girl that’s softened his heart. Alex has a large ol’ brushed bosom and loves to unreal helium doesn’t.”

Though Duong feels the tumor shrinking and the size of his oculus has receded, helium inactive has monocular vision. In his near tract of vision, “I conscionable spot achromatic feathers.” If attraction is successful, helium volition yet necessitate highly risky orbital reconstruction surgery. A donor nerve, oregon a afloat donor eye, whitethorn beryllium required. He presently owes much than $400,000 successful aesculapian costs.

Duong sits with flowers made by his daughter, Everest, surrounded by her paintings.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

“I emotion this metropolis and everything it’s fixed me,” Duong says. But successful caller years, “Angelos person been near to fend for themselves and each other.”

He hates being told that he’s strong. “I don’t privation to beryllium strong!” helium says. “I conscionable privation to spell archer my d— jokes, marque radical laughter and bent retired with my family.” For Duong, household extends to performers who person reached out. “Comedians ever person each other’s backs erstwhile times are s—. We cognize however hard it is to conifer and conflict and scrape by successful this lifestyle, conscionable truthful we tin bash these jokes and support improving. It’s a beauteous happening to spot successful this world; it truly is.”