If you've been to a comedy show in Portland, chances are you've seen either Veronica Heath or Kristine Levine. They're two prominent voices on the local comedy scene, and they're both going to be out of here this week.

While the Portland to NYC/LA pipeline is something we've written about before, Heath and Levine aren't skipping town for reasons of career advancement—they're medical.

Last summer, Heath was hospitalized for complications stemming from rheumatoid arthritis. Levine has the same chronic autoimmune disease, so they're moving to Tucson, Arizona, in the hopes that they'll fare better in a warmer climate. Tonight's comedy show at Helium, Two Broke(n) Girls, will be one of your best chance to see them before they go.

When Heath was hospitalized last summer, Portland comedians rallied around her and showed up at the Funhouse Lounge on a weeknight for a three-hour comedy show slash carnival they dubbed Operation Unicorn. It was unbelievably heartwarming. And they auctioned off a humidifier for reasons I will never understand. Chances are tonight's show will be similarly great. It's also a pretty great lineup, with the always-delightful Whitney Streed, Barbara Holm, Nariko Ott, and more in the mix.

This is where I remind you that while Portland's comedy scene changes like any other—with the PDX -> NYC/LA pipeline admittedly specific to stand-up—it is a thriving, growing part of our city's arts and culture. This isn't the end. To the contrary, it seems like every week, someone launches yet another showcase or open mic. We are lucky to live in a city with such hilarious weirdos, and to have daily access to a comedy subculture that isn't dominated by cisgendered white men screaming about their crazy ex-girlfriends. Recent departures from the scene are sad, yes, but if we've given you the impression that the scene only matters when someone is leaving, or that it's over forever, that impression is wrong, and you should drop it immediately.

And you should go to Helium tonight.