'Tink' and Gramps on a mission

WHO: Edmund J. "Tink" Howland, 51, Deferiet. After being diagnosed with cancer, this performer, originally form Natural Bridge, thought he would never perform again.

Armed with a positive attitude and his "guitar-playing" puppet "Gramps," the entertainer is determined to make others smile, despite whatever hardships they face.

He has been involved in numerous local theatrical productions. He performs at area farmers markets, hospitals and clinics.

What type of cancer do you have?

"It's called nasopharyngeal carcinoma. My cancer is a rare cancer. When I started looking up information on it, I saw that a very famous person had it and died from it: Babe Ruth."

When were you diagnosed?

"January 2009. Behind my eyes and in my nasal, I have a tumor about the size of a cherry tomato. It's attached to my brain so it affected the whole left side of my face. It made me cross-eyed. In my left ear, I lost 80 percent hearing from it, 50 percent in my right ear.

I lost my wife two years ago to cervical cancer."

Have you always liked entertaining people?

"Yes. From birth, probably. I love making people laugh at my expense. If it'll make you smile or make you laugh ... you look like you're having a bad day, come here and let me give you a hug."

Does performing help distract you from your illness?

"Absolutely. I love doing Gramps. I make little kids from a year old up to 101 years old dance and they smile.

I was doing a show at Samaritan Keep Home recently. There was this guy on the third floor. He couldn't move anything but his toes were wiggling to the beat of the music."

How long have you been performing with Gramps?

"Six years. I taught myself how to do it. I saw him on the Internet and I told my wife, 'I want this, I want this' And she never doubted me.

I said, 'You know what I'm going to do, Tina? I'm going to give him a guitar and make him sing old country songs and classic rock.'"

Do you get good feedback?

"Young and old alike really like it even more so than I thought. Most people don't even look at me. They look at Gramps. I've never been heckled." (Laughs)

How long did it take you to teach yourself how to perform without moving your lips?

"Not very long, about a month. I put a mirror in front of me and I sat there with Gramps in my lap. Then it got scary; he was almost real to me.

I used to hardly use my lips at all, but people thought it was a CD, not me singing karaoke style."

Were you worried your cancer would stop you from performing?

"I didn't think I'd every be able to do Gramps again. I have a port (to receive chemotherapy) and it affects your voice, so I was going to have a hard enough time talking again.

After I started getting better, I was home by myself, I started singing. I can sing again and that's all I really cared about."

How long have you been playing guitar?

"I don't play anything. I just sing. I make Gramps look like he's playing guitar and because I'm a good air guitar player it looks like Gramps knows what he's doing."

What other hobbies do you have other than Gramps?

"I'm a chain saw artist. I draw and paint. I'm a snow sculptor. Our team, the Snow Wizards, represented New York State at a national snow sculpting competition in Alaska in '92. God gave me talent to do so many creative things."

What's your favorite part of performing?

"The way the older people react. And the young kids. The one-year-olds who dance to Johnny Cash. She has no idea who Johnny Cash is but she's having a good time."

You went into remission briefly, didn't you? The cancer came back?

"A few weeks ago. In May, I had been cancer-free for three months. The day before they told me the bad news they (the doctors) were wanting to throw a party.

The very next day, they called and told me that, not only it had come back, but it had spread."

Is it hard to stay positive?

"I'm really so grateful for every day. I'm already here a year and a half longer than they thought I'd be.

I'm a happy guy. I'm the guy whose glass is half full."

Do you think your positive attitude inspires others?

"They tell me I'm such an inspiration, but I'm scared to death. I'm just like you; the only difference is, rather than give up, I'm living every day like nothing's wrong."

If you would like to suggest a subject for a Times Q&A, contact Johnson Newspapers staff writer Chelsea Craddock at ccraddock@wdt.net.