Comedy Barn Theater Goes out of Its Way for Human and Canine Amputees

A Comedy Barn Theater employee and his canine co-worker are both recovering one step at a time from recent leg amputations with love, laughter and a generous lift from the theater's co-owners and fellow employees.

Jose Cahall, a traffic greeter at the theater for the past nine years, lost his right leg below the knee on Jan. 31, 2011, at age 39 from artery disease and a hereditary clotting disorder. Hoppy, a five-month-old Papillion puppy, was adopted in January 2011 by Dawn Goehring, trainer of The Comedy Barn Canines troupe. The Small Breed Rescue of East Tennessee approached Goehring to rescue Hoppy, who lost one of his back legs in a puppy mill and was abandoned and homeless.

Today, Cahall and Hoppy are supporting each other through their amputation rehabilitation and adjustment process. In addition, both are receiving a helping hand and financial support from their theater family.

While Cahall recovered at the Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center in Knoxville, his Comedy Barn co-workers renovated his mobile home to be handicapped accessible and to be more functional and clean when he returned home. They outfitted the bathroom with handrails, a shower seat and other needed modifications. They thoroughly cleaned the space, painted all the walls, replaced the flooring, curtains and furniture, and even bought Cahall his first bed in years. He came home to a new refrigerator stocked full of groceries. Employees also gathered supplies and built a ramp entrance to the mobile home.

Cahall suffered from leg pain for many years, but didn't seek medical attention. "I knew I was in trouble when I didn't have any feeling in my toes," Cahall said. "My toes were a different color than the rest of my foot. I kept on going until I was in severe pain and couldn't walk anymore. I was limping around the parking lot trying to put out cones for tour buses, and I had to sit down on a bench."

The Comedy Barn Theater Assistant Manager Suzanne Herrell saw Cahall's pain and convinced him to go to the doctor that day. She drove Cahall to the doctor's office and stayed by his side during the hospital evaluations. "Suzanne saved my life," Cahall explains.

Herrell says, "Jose is like a child to me now. He is part of our Comedy Barn family. All of us want to do what we can to help him, especially since his own family isn't in a position to help him." The Comedy Barn employees also have been keeping up with his bills and Herrell is currently helping him apply for food stamps. "Jose is beloved in this town. People have been asking about him and miss him at the theater," Herrell said.

In addition for paying for home renovation supplies, The Comedy Barn Theater Co-owners David Fee and Jim Hedrick are personally paying for Cahall's prosthetic leg and remaining medical bills. Hedrick stayed with Cahall during his amputation operation at Parkwest Medical Center in Knoxville. "Jose always is trying to make everyone else around him feel better. Even going into the operating room, he was wearing his Comedy Barn blinking-light hat, cracking jokes and making us laugh. Jose is a special person and he is family to us," Hedrick says.

Cahall is now learning to walk on his prosthesis. He is finding comfort in the generosity of his employer, co-workers and one inspirational dog.

When Cahall met Hoppy, he and his new, three-legged friend bonded instantly. "I understand what this dog is going through. I understand what he needs to learn with this disability and I want to help him," Cahall said.

"I am in good spirits and ready to heal. Life is not over after amputation. It is just different," Cahall says. "The Comedy Barn is not my whole life, but The Comedy Barn has made me whole again."

Cahall hopes to be an inspiration to other amputees. He says having a prosthetic leg will not hold him back. Instead of despairing, Cahall has resolved to be self-sufficient.

Trainer Goehring says she sees the same resolve within Hoppy. Because Goehring already has 16 rescue dogs and she has a rule against adopting puppies, she was hesitant at first to take Hoppy on. "But timing has a way of working on people," Goehring says.

"I brought Hoppy home to see how we would fair with my other dogs. Things were going really well with the other dogs and my family, especially my 2-year-old son, who instantly took a liking to Hoppy," Goehring explains.

"Then Jose got his leg amputated, and that was the clincher for me," Goehring said. "I thought this is what I am supposed to do with this dog. I will teach him that disabilities can't stop you from doing things the other dogs do."

Hoppy is active, social, and smart. He will be a great addition to The Comedy Barn Canines. Goehring concludes, "This special puppy will be a fantastic ambassador for rescue dogs and amputees. Hoppy can show amputees like Jose that there are no limits. I can already see that Jose is the perfect friend for this dog."

Because of their Comedy Barn family, these two special souls have a leg-up on life despite losing a limb. Cahall has not only enriched his co-workers' lives but inspired his bosses to help more amputees.

"This is about giving our employees, human and canine, a better quality of life," Fee said. The Fee-Hedrick Family Entertainment Group has donated more than $100,000 to The Sevier County Humane Society over the past several years. "We are now looking to extend our philanthropy to amputees and a related organization. We are waiting for Jose to recover more and help with input on a worthy cause that we all feel good about," Fee says.

Doctors report Cahall should be ready to return to work in about three months. Cahall, who has a tattoo of The Comedy Barn logo on his fore arm, says he's looking forward to returning to work, seeing guests, and being with his co-workers and theater family. "You bet I'll be there with my blinking hat and crazy Comedy antics trying to make other people smile and laugh when I return to the funniest show in town. This is my family, and I love the Barn," Cahall says.

The 850-seat Comedy Barn Theater is the only theater in Pigeon Forge devoted exclusively to clean comedy, antics and animated stunts. The theater is located one-half block past traffic light No. 3 on the Parkway in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Open year round, The Comedy Barn has two shows nightly at 5 p.m. and 8:15 p.m., as well as some scheduled matinees for groups throughout the season. Adult tickets are $24.95, plus tax, and one child (age 11 and under) is free with each paying adult. For tickets and show times, call 1-800-29 LAUGH or (865) 428-5222. Groups of 20 or more qualify for group rates by calling 1-866-492-6972. For more information or to purchase online tickets, visit www.comedybarn.com.

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