Derrenberger doesn't let MS get her down

PALM-AIRE — Sherry Derrenberger wanted to be a standup comic but had to alter her dream slightly.
The longtime Palm-Aire resident suffers from multiple sclerosis, a neurological disease that often results in a loss of motor skills and the ability to communicate, but that isn’t stopping Derrenberger from taking the spotlight as a sit-down comedian.

“If I bomb, I bomb,” says Derrenberger, 67. “I just want people to laugh.”

Her first paid gig doing comedy was in July, at the DeSoto Beach Club. Her second performance followed Sept. 1, at Woodlands Village, in Bradenton. The next one is slated for Savannah Grand of Sarasota Sept. 19.

Although Derrenberger has occasionally performed comedy for groups over the years, she’s now marketing herself professionally, mostly to assisted-living and retirement facilities.

“This is all really new,” she says. “It’s a little scary.”

But, she admits, it’s more fun than intimidating.

“I’m a very outgoing person,” Derrenberger says. “Everybody I’ve met has ended up a friend. I truly believe if you do good, you get good back.”

Derrenberger, who has lived in Palm-Aire since 1986, has suffered from MS since 1980. The condition has claimed much of her body’s normal functions — her fingers and hands go numb and tingle, making it hard to write or type. She’s progressively lost her ability to walk steadily; she went from slowing her pace, to using a cane, to using a walker, to now using a power wheelchair.

But, unlike many individuals affected by MS, Derrenberger has maintained much of her independence. Her speech remains normal. Her car has been retrofitted with equipment that allows her to control the gas and brake pedals with her hands, rather than her feet.

“Everyone’s got problems; it’s how you deal with them,” Derrenberger says. “Yes, I have MS, but MS doesn’t have me. That’s how I introduce myself in my (routine).”

And that attitude translates to her desire to do sit-down comedy.

“I think I can do it,” she says. “A lot of people don’t have a lot to laugh about. Laughter is great medicine. I feel good about making other people feel good, making them laugh.”

Derrenberger’s act is the culmination of 40 years worth of collecting jokes and funny family stories, like how her father’s pronunciation of the word “flowers” caused problems after her brother was born.

Most are targeted toward an older audience.

“I never thought I would be shaving more than my legs,” the 67-year-old quips.

Others are a little risqué but still tasteful. Most, she says, are clean.

Derrenberger just wants people — herself included — to have fun.

“I hope to get out of it pleasure — for myself, but also for the people who listen to me,” she says.

About Sherry Derrenberger
Sherry Derrenberger moved from Ann Arbor, Mich., to the Palm-Aire community in 1986 after a career selling insurance.

Derrenberger has battled multiple sclerosis since 1980.

She authored and self-published a book about her life dealing with MS in October under her maiden name, Sherrill Lynn Dix. It’s titled, “Autobiography of a Nobody.”

“I was thinking — I couldn’t shut my brain off and I thought I’d really like to write my autobiography,” Derrenberger says of writing the book. “I had a terrible time typing because of my numb and tingling fingers, but I just had to do it.”

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].