North Texan with stage 4 liver disease shares improvisation period with friend

MCKINNEY, Texas — Imagine not being able to go to the place that makes you feel truly alive. For PJ Pantaleo it’s the stage.

Due to his health problems, it was almost impossible to perform improvisations and leave his home. In 2020, PJ was diagnosed with stage 4 non-alcoholic cirrhosis.

“I don’t want to see the world. I don’t want to be a part of it,” Pantaleo said. “(The doctors told me) you probably have weeks, days or months,” he said.

But PJ had already heard enough from doctors over the years — now he listened to his soul, telling WFAA that his soul was telling him to cherish the moments he had left.

As Thanksgiving approached, PJ’s friend and brother Matt Gervia came to visit from Orlando. It had been five years since they had last seen each other, but their bond, forged through years of improvisation and a shared love of performance, remained strong. Gervia directs the Orlando Comedy Festival and even teaches improv in Florida.

“I have known him since the beginning of time. PJ and I have been friends for so long that we have made it family,” Gervia said.

With his health deteriorating, PJ was determined to share the stage with Matt one last time. The owner of the Comedy Arena in McKinney made it happen last Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.

“It allows me to draw strength from what (the stage) gives me. And tonight is no different,” PJ said.

For just 20 minutes, PJ could imagine himself as he once was – alive, full of energy and laughing with his old friend. PJ even admitted to WFAA that he didn’t feel sick during his twenty minutes on stage.

The stage, both the medical and the theatrical stage, revealed a deep truth: Appreciate the people who share the stage of your life. “Look into their eyes until you see them in their soul. Hug and kiss them as hard as you can give them. Do it as many times as you want,” PJ said.

Pantaleo is grateful for his network of friends and family who helped him during these difficult years. He is particularly grateful for his partner Junior, who was “my rock.” PJ and the family have a financing site to help them with unexpected increases in medical costs.