Chris O'Connor

Thank you.

So being Middle Eastern, I realized my childhood was very different from my white friends.

So for instance, during summer breaks, my white friend's parents would send them to summer camp.

My parents would send me to refugee camp.

They learned new things like horseback riding.

I learned how to ride the village donkey.

I was so mad the camel was gone, though.

My friends would...

meet brag about like how many friends they made they were like oh i got all these pen pals i'm gonna write letters i was so sad i didn't meet a single friend but i did meet like 85 cousins that was just on my mom's side though i still have to write checks to them every summer my last friend though um he was so excited he met the girl of his dreams

And he had his first kiss.

I also met a girl.

She was my first cousin.

I'm the girl of my mother's dreams.

Uh-huh.

And, you know, it was about, like, a year for recovery, and then... Do you know what caused the stroke?

Just hanging out, talking to my friend, getting ready for a show, and then God was like, you know what?

You ain't doing that show tonight.

No, like my arm went numb.

And I just was like, you know, what?

And then 30 seconds later, it came back to life.