Laughing at (His) Nightmare

Shane Burcaw is a funny, funny dude. I’ve read his blog off and on for years, and occasionally a story of his will go viral, or he’ll be featured on a prominent site (Buzzfeed did a feature on him and his girlfriend not too long ago). I finally read his book Laughing at My Nightmare, which is also the name of his website AND his nonprofit (he runs a second nonprofit called No More Nightmares that helps people with muscular dystrophy get the medical equipment and assistance that they need–he’s an impressive dude). The book was as funny and well-written as I expected.

Burcaw has been in a wheelchair since before he could walk. Doctors diagnosed him with spinal muscular atrophy when he was a baby, which means his muscles have been slowly atrophying his entire life. He is entirely dependent on others — mostly his parents, younger brother and girlfriend — to help him perform every task, from showering to dressing to rolling over in the middle of the night. He’s gone through several health scares, mostly due to his incredibly weak lungs. He’s also experienced what many other kids, in and out of wheelchairs, have — feeling socially outcast, unsure how to make friends, etc.

But Burcaw’s philosophy, and the aim of his nonprofit, is to tackle this issues head on, through laughter and a positive attitude. He has been through some shitty, shitty stuff — but his take on his life, both the everyday issues like making someone else wipe your butt and the bigger issues, like little-to-no-lung function — is hysterical. I learned a lot from this book — not just about Burcaw’s life (which is totally fascinating, by the way), but about human nature, as well.