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The legacy of CBC comedy writer, Canadian humorist Mike O’Brien

The Big Diseasey

Already known by the public for his work and by those he worked with for kindness and a lively sense of humor, O’Brien became even more known after being diagnosed with cancer four years ago. Not long after he began a well-read blog called The Big Diseasey: tumour humour & chemo emo.

In it, he chronicled his escapades with a rare cancer called synovial sarcoma and the daily challenges of a family living with one of its members deathly ill. He wrote about it all, including the rounds of radiation and chemotherapy, a family vacation to California, his guilt at not being able to keep up his share of the housework and how his ass was getting so bony it hurt to sit down.

Throughout the blog he speaks of not having the time or energy to be angry at his fate. Of not wasting time debating fairness but instead getting on with sharing as much happiness as time allowed. He even forgives the doctor who failed to see a lump Mike had was cancer, losing months before sending him to a specialist. O’Brien wrote they “hugged it out” over the phone.

As a writer, Mr. O’Brien took self-deprecating humor, along with courage, to new heights and, incredibly, made us laugh in the midst of great sadness. In one post, talking about his difficulty to draw breath, he says his life was “veering between one terrible band and one great song: Air Supply vs. Aqualung. I never thought I would cheer for Air Supply.”

Recently, as he became a shut-in and had difficulty even shuffling about the house, he noted that at least he got “to see what my 80s would have been like.” In another post he catches a glimpse of himself while passing a mirror and is shocked to see he’d lost so much weight he had “the same chest as Audrey Hepburn.”

He even tackled sex.

“I want to make a special appeal,” he wrote. “I see many people wearing T-shirts that read: F— Cancer. That’s nice and all. I mean, we cancerous appreciate it. But, if you really want to help, why not f— us?

“Our sex lives have suffered as a result of our disease,” he continued. “I am wrinkled, emaciated and bald. I don’t feel sexy. I don’t feel masculine. Five years ago, I weighed 200 pounds. Now I weigh 152. (“And this time, I’m keeping it off!” — Mike O, Winnipeg, actual cancer customer.).”

Editor and reporter

Growing up in Inuvik, N.W.T. — he had First Nations roots — and Victoria, B.C., O’Brien had no contact with his father but has a loving and dutiful mother, Sheila. He got a degree at the University of Victoria where in the late 80s he edited the student newspaper, The Martlet. This reporter was on his staff and knows how Mike made everyone feel valued and produced an extremely readable and well-respected newspaper.

As editor he was an innovator, producing entire issues in which the pronoun “he” was removed and replaced by “per.” Some didn’t like it, and it wasn’t exactly embraced by other publications, but that didn’t stop Mike from trying to find a gender-neutral pronoun long before anyone else did.

After University he spent one year as a reporter for the Medicine Hat News and then it was on to the Regina Leader-Post, an award winning newspaper that in 14 years had him work in every beat known to news writing, save for sports (though he was a CFL fan). From Regina he seized an opportunity to write for the CBC and moved to Winnipeg.

Once there he spent over a decade writing comedy and producing for CBC radio. His podcasts were forever funny and so compelling you did not want them to end. He created ‘Strange Animal,’ a nationally broadcasted series about humans; it was cancelled once the cancer made work untenable.

Mike O’Brien: The legacy

O’Brien leaves behind his adorable son, Will O’Brien, four-and-a-half, and his wife, Robin Summerfield. The three recently took a trip to his old stomping grounds of Victoria so he could show Will the ocean and the city he spent so many years in. His doctor advised against it because he was by then on palliative care and might not survive it, but Mike went anyway.

While in Victoria, by happenstance he was spotted by CTV roving reporter Adam Sawatsky, who interviewed Mike on camera for the evening news. The result was poignant, classy and, as always with Mike, funny and it is a clip that is now, along with his work and blog, a part of the legacy that has been left by Mike O’Brien.

Another part of that legacy is of course his humor, and here it is wonderfully illustrated in a mock obituary he himself wrote on The Big Diseasey:

“Mike’s accomplishments are too numerous and fictional to list here,” Mike began. “As a journalist, he knew the difference between truth and deception, and rarely let that bother him. As an actor, he made you feel like he was standing right where the director told him to stand; a skill he shared with Olivier, Brando and many puppets. As a radio producer, he boosted television ratings. As a comedy writer, he was tall.”

But his biggest legacy? Will, and his love of family. That along with all the happy moments he gave to them, and to his readers, moments given while dying. Isn’t that a legacy we can all learn from?

After all, if Mike found love and happiness, and generosity, while living with death, can’t we while living with health?

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