By Chris Otcasek (aka Mr. Ohh!) | Featured Contributor
Hello! I have a question for you all. I would like to ask how you grew up? How were you treated? When I grew up, I had asthma, and was not treated well. The thing is…no one was in those times. I would run the 100-meter dash and run out of breath after 25. It wasn’t so bad that the other children told me I ran like a truck, but when the coach did as well it made me feel I wasn’t trying hard enough. Well, I tried harder and got worse.
Some folks find this abuse depressing and are scarred. I grew to fight harder, and when I was laughed at, I learned to laugh at myself as well. It was a sad existence. Bullying is cruel but it must be survived. Friedrich Nietzsche said, “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” It’s a lie that which does not kill us gives us one more thing to avoid. For me, that became everything. And it continued throughout my working life.
My Diagnosis
About ten years ago I found out just how bad my asthma was. I was given several medications over the years but things didn’t improve. Consequently, neither did I. Then three years ago I found out I had a genetic disease called Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency. This is a liver disease which causes the liver to stop making a protein the lungs need to protect themselves and make an odd protein that clogs the liver. There is no cure. My lungs have large holes in them, and once a week a nurse comes to my house and gives me a transfusion of proteins to protect me from further damage.
When I found out about all this, I was despondent. I sat and cried for days. The job I had let me go because I could no longer work. I can’t even talk for more than ten minutes, so I couldn’t get work in a call center or retail. I was forced to go on disability after being employed since I was sixteen. It was the worst time of my life.
A Turning Point
Then I remembered the lessons from my early life: Try harder and laugh. It was not easy, and I still have some very bad times and mornings when I sob for a few minutes. First, I needed a job. The job I selected for myself was to write an entertaining blog. I would post once a week so I could maintain a high quality. Next, I decided the blog had to be humorous, a reason to laugh. I would beat all those from the past. I would laugh first and best. They would laugh with me…not at me.
You will never hear any of this in my blog because I choose not to mention it. I refuse to say anything related to it because it has become a sanctuary. My disease doesn’t exist inside my blog world. Well, thanks to my followers, it has worked. I have found a happy place inside the virtual world of Mr. Ohhs!’s Sideways View.
You can do it to. Look into yourself and create what you need and stop mentioning what it sad about you and turn yourself into a happy person. Laugh on!
Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency: How You Can Help
Before I end this, I’d like to say a bit more about Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency. It is a rare genetic disease. As I said there is no cure. What the Alphas need is blood proteins. These come from plasma donations. It takes twenty-five donations for me to get one dose of my infusion medication and I get an infusion once a week. I am not alone. Blood and plasma donations are very important and life saving to people like myself. Please considering donating this part of yourself to save many lives.
Also, the Alpha-1 Foundation is searching for a cure. If you would like to know more about this you can go to Alpha1.org.
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If this is true I invite you to come visit my website. There is lots to laugh at there and more comes every week. MySidewaysView.com
I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it’s the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It’s probably the most important thing in a person.
Laughing daily is a choice
It truly is
what makes you laugh?
The irony of the world.
Hi Chris,
I love your story, and I love the way you got through the hard parts. Laughter is definitely the best way to survive a difficult childhood. I’ve found that looking for beauty helps as well. I crave beauty in my life because there was so much ugliness when I was little. So I surround myself with beautiful things, and find myself seeing beauty in nature, even if I’m not looking for it. It’s like God shows it to me because He knows I love seeing it.
But humor also helps a lot. It doesn’t take ANYTHING to entertain me and make me laugh! My stepdad used to say that he could make me laugh just by saying, Pass the mustard. And because he said it, I’d start giggling!
I wrote a post for my blog about beauty, called When Faith Becomes Sight. Here’s the link to it: https://godsnotthroughwithmeyet.com/2020/03/01/when-faith-becomes-sight/
I hope you like it!!
This is very nice, thanks for sharing, its really inspiring
Thank very much
I will live on your advice. That’s all I want to say😄
Thanks
I got through life maintaining my sense of humor.
I have found that is the only way to get through life. Laughter reduces stress and buffs up your immune system. I can actually cure some diseases
Yesterday, I watched AGT all the day. Some people are having some health and disability related issues.
One comedian make me too much laugh because he has a problem to repeat a word two times.
People appreciated his work. They are laughing on his jokes not on him. My best wishes to you Chris.🤗❤️💪
That is how it should be
,,
,,
Laugh Daily; See what happens
😜
👍
I can really relate to Chris’ story. In my case, anything said to me was taken negatively due to my epilepsy, bipolar, and depression. In hindsight, not every kid in high school was a bully.
That is so true. I don’t see my self as bullied as much as that was just the way it was. Yes there were bullies but most were just doing what what was done
My sister’s license plate reads …… LOL QD …….. and we do!
That’s what it’s all about
Wow. Thanks for sharing your experience. And I live your positive attitude.💯
If you live positive and laugh. You don’t need to think about how you got there
Getting a diagnoses like that is tough, but at the same time, it’s liberating. I don’t have your disease, but finding out I was always sick, made moving on that much easier. Thanks for sharing. We need to let more people know that we will survive.
You’re very welcome and thanks for reading. I will keep laughing
toughest childhood imaginable…, probably…. but am physically healthy enough, I think.
laughter is a great healer, I am sure…. an atmosphere of kindness, benevolence in it….
I don’t know if it was the toughest, We all have trials, these were mine. What is important isn’t the trial but how we get through them. And laughter is the best healer
Grew up poor and split between two families. Fortunately I’m from the south where kindness is a norm, so never really experienced any abuse per se, just always hungry.
Thanks for reading. I’m glad things are better for you now. Laugh On!