"If you watch this show, you watch it because you found it. No one told you it was on. There’s no bus ads for Craigy, there’s no billboards, there’s no promotion. You found this show because you found it, and if you’ve stayed with it any length of time it’s because you’re interested..." -Craig Ferguson
Yep. That's how it was for me. I just found him. (People who know me are, right about now thinkin, "aww jeez, more flailing & fainting about that Craig Ferguson!" Yep. You betcha!) ANYWAY, I'm FINALLY going to get to see him LIVE... He's FINALLY comin *to my region*! #NotLikeThat! (Or #ExactlyLikeThat? LOL) No flags will pop on, no "whassacominago", or "oooh la la" or anything. And I'm probably more excited about it than anyone else who will also be in attendance. Why? Why would I be the most excited? I imagine it would have to do with the how & when I discovered @CraigyFerg. Better known as Craig Ferguson, to those who don't do the Tweety. (Twitter).
It was in 2009. Late summer. I had been diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer at the end of June, just a couple weeks past my 40th birthday. I think it might actually have been after my first round of chemo. I think I still had my hair. It was the darkest period of my life. I had become so depressed. Cried a lot. Wondered what kind of life will I have from this point on? Things will NEVER be the same. Will I EVER smile again?? Would I ever laugh again?? Because I hadn't done any of those things in quite some time.
It was late at night for me for a weeknight. I couldn't sleep. I was just going over & over in my mind about this terrible turn life had taken for me & my husband. (Who, BTW, has been & continues to be AWESOME & also played the BIGGEST role in gettin me through "cancer-hell", as well as my friends & family too...but this is my "Craig-story.") Anyway, so I turned on the TV. Flippin through the channels, I stopped on one because I just HAD to see WTF was going on with puppets on CBS around 11:30ish. I so wish I could remember exactly what episode it was. But I do believe it was something with the puppets. And the next thing I knew, half an hour had gone by. And I had been smiling & laughing the entire time. Real laughter. Which I hadn't done in what felt like ages. And it felt good to smile. Felt good to easily & naturally laugh.
Soooooo, I made it a habit to "stay up late" & watch The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. A guaranteed smile/laugh-fest daily. And it was at that point that I think I turned a corner. It's weird, but I do believe I rejoined the land of the living after that. Was able to get together with friends & actually enjoy life again. And realize that it's going to be ok.
So. Is Craig the cure for cancer? No. But for me, he definitely played a big role in my recovery from cancer treatment. I even got to contribute to a music video that was (awesomely) made as a gift for Craig's birthday, by another of his devoted fans. (Craig fans are also known as the "Robot Skeleton Army", or "RSA" #RSA on Twitter). I even wrote to the show because I just wanted to let Craig know how much I appreciate what he does, what a difference he's made in my life (& so many others, I've come to learn), & that somewhere out there, there's a cancer patient who "stays up late" to get her daily dose of #Craigy - induced laughter.
And I still do. And now I get to see him LIVE pretty soon. Some other RSA have been SO lucky to have had the opportunity to actually MEET him. OMG. THAT would just be awesome. To be able to shake his hand & thank him personally for....for being him, I guess. But, alas, I do not have any VIP pass, or meet n greet creds. SO. If you're reading this, & you have pull with CBS, or Craig, or LLS.....This RSA "ain't too proud to beg." LOL. Seriously, not sure I could even speak if I got to meet him. So it's probably just as well. Cause I'd probably just stand there. Speechless. And teary.
Or faint. Yep. *thud!*
So there it is. The Confessions of a Fourty-Something Fan Girl.
*Don't you judge me!* ;)
5 comments:
You're adorable and I'm glad to know you as a fellow skelly! Craig has helped so many people (myself included) to come back to laughter and happiness from the depths of sadness. If I had any pull, believe me, I'd move mountains to get you to meet him. Consider going to a gig in Vegas sometime. He's had M&Gs there in the past.
*hugs*
Colleen
Wonderful story...you said it well! Only a fellow RSA member can fully understand and appreciate him! I'm 55, and my mom is 89, and we are both huge fans! It's brought us very close together, and we talk about him everyday! She's too "tech-challenged" to record his show, so I call her every night at 12:34 to make sure she's in bed and ready for the show. It's the high point of her day, and I'm really glad he's there!
What an inspiring story, LunaTech Chick! It's so good to see others that have discovered Craig or drawn on his experience in a time of crisis. I was a big Kilborn fan and it took all of one show with CF to make me forget Kilborn ever existed! I eventually pulled from Craig's strength when he lost his father when my own mother passed away. In 2008, I found "Between the Bridge and the River" and it truly changed the way I thought. The book's central moral, "Help Others", became my own mantra. Then, about the same time you got your diagnosis, I pulled from his strength again to help me kick a horrible habit that WAS MOST DEFINITELY GOING TO KILL ME. Going on nearly two years sober now, and if there was one being (other than God) who has been the catalyst for that, it's Craig. You will be in my prayers, fellow RoboSkelly! #EXACTLYlikethat!
Take care!
Kirk (@Kirk_Copeland on the Tweetybox)
Thank you for sharing your story. So much of what you wrote resonates with many RSA. Count me among those who learned to laugh and enjoy life again after "discovering" Craig. His willingness to share, on occasion, those quite intimate details of his life and his past that make him *human* and not just another "Hollywood entertainer," is a thing of beauty that should be applauded at every turn.
great story! go #RSArmy!
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