When some people see me or think about me, they only see the health issues that are slowly destroying my body. Sadly, they are missing the big picture.

When I look at the last 16 years of this crazy/beautiful health journey, I see God. Yes, I see God in this crazy/beautiful health journey. Here are some ways God has revealed himself to me.

God has blessed me with an incredible wife, family, friends and medical team. I have seen God in each of these individuals. Sometimes God has brought complete strangers in my life to assist me during this journey.

God has allowed me to not be angry, bitter or depressed during this journey. That does not mean I don’t have rough days, but I do not live in those bad days. I have heard God’s encouraging words during some of my darkest days.

God has allowed me the honor of sharing the story He has given me. That is not something I take for granted. I lost my physical voice a few years ago, but God is allowing me to speak louder than ever. I am thankful for social media and the platform it has given me.

God has blessed me with the opportunity to be a Abolitionist and Missionary during this crazy/beautiful journey. I have been blessed with so many life changing experiences the past 16 years.

God is blessing me with the opportunity to share my story in book form. Never in my life did I ever think I would write a book. Even more amazing is that people say they cannot wait to read my story. Only God can accomplish such a feat. The book will be released next year (2019).

My prayer is that when people look at me, they will see more than my health issues. I pray when people see me, talk to me or read something I wrote, they will see God. ~OC

Besides having Parkinson’s, Myasthenia Gravis and Gastroparesis, I have another incurable disease. I am an incurable optimist. That’s right, I am the guy who always finds the positives in every situation. The doctors are not sure if I was born with it or it’s something that developed over the years. I personally think it’s a mixture of both.

I have always been a pretty upbeat and positive person. Life was not always easy growing up, but I always looked for the positives in life. Okay, most of the time, I looked for the positives. Even a incurable optimist has a tough day. Growing up, I played a lot of sports. I loved playing sports, but I never got too upset when my team was on the losing side of a game. Trust me, I did not like to lose, but I never carried a lose with me. I was always able to put a defeat behind me and look forward to the next game. I remember in high school, I was the person you called when life threw you a curveball. For some reason, people always felt comfortable and safe sharing their stories with me. I had no idea back then, that God would use me to help encourage fellow patients facing some of the toughest moments of their lives.

My incurable optimism has truly been tested the past 16 years. This crazy/beautiful health journey has had many twist and turns. During this journey, I have faced one life threatening situation after another. This journey has not been an easy one. No one would fault me for being angry or, at least, a little grumpy. But that is just not in my makeup. I still look for the positives in every diagnosis, test result and prognosis. Heck, I still buy a new pair of running shoes every few months.

Over the past 16 years, I have been asked at least a thousand times “How can you be so positive when you are dealing with so much?” Honestly, I think my brain is just wired to be positive. But I do believe everyone has the ability to be positive. Looking at the positives in life is a choice, one I have to make everyday. Sometimes we have to make that choice multiple times a day. I know for some people, that is not easy. You just naturally bend towards the negative. That’s okay. You can make the choice to join the positive side of life. I know you can do it. Take baby steps. I promise you it will be worth it.

I know life will continue to present me with challenges. That is just part of the journey. I am sure there will be days that part of me will want to drift to the dark side called negativity. On those days, I will stop and think about all the good things in my life. Those blessings will put a smile on my face and everything will be right with the world again. That is my life as an incurable optimist. ~OC

Hello family, friends and anyone checking out my blog. I am currently looking for the opportunity to share my crazy/beautiful journey. If you know of a ministry, sports team, church, school or business looking for a speaker with an encouraging story, please have them contact me. Here is a little bit of my story.

I am a former long-distance runner, who is running a different type of marathon these days. Today, I am running a race to encourage others who are dealing with their own storms.

My life can be defined in one word, overcomer. For the past 16 years, I have been dealing with multiple life-threatening health issues. I have been told on numerous occasions that I would not make it through the night. I have looked at each of those moments as a challenge and an opportunity to encourage others. This has become my life mission.

I am an Abolitionist, Missionary and Speaker. I assist several organizations with their social media pages. These organizations are committed to battling the epidemic of human trafficking.  I carry a message of God’s hope to hospitals and doctors’ offices everywhere I go. I share my story to encourage others who are faced with the difficulties life sometimes brings our way.

My wife, Laura, and I are currently working with a team of writers to complete my memoir. The book will share how God has used my 16 year crazy/beautiful health journey to strengthen us and help us encourage others. Our goal is to help educate and empower caregivers, and bring lasting hope to others who are suffering.

Once again, if you or someone you know would be interested in hearing more about my story, you can leave me a message on my Contact Page. It would be my honor to speak with you. ~OC

On this date, 19 years ago, I made one of the best decisions of my life. I married Laura Maria West. She has been a true blessing. Laura has taken on many roles the last 19 years, but caregiver was not one we ever anticipated. Let me explain.

In only our second year of marriage, my medical journey started. Little did we know it would still be going on 16 years later. During this time, Laura has been by my side during every surgery, every diagnosis, every medical appointment, every treatment and every hospital stay. She has never complained or thought about skipping town. No, instead she has stepped up and took on many new roles. Laura has become my health advocate, my cheerleader and nurse.

I am happy we made the choice, early on in this health journey, to keep on living and enjoying life. We have never let my health issues get in the way of making memories. During this crazy/beautiful journey, we have traveled and experienced some incredible moments. We have even turned hospital stays into memorable moments.

I am so happy that God brought Laura into my life. Life has not always been easy with my health issues, but the past 19 years has been one beautiful moment after another. We have been blessed to face every tough moment together. I cannot imagine doing life without my beautiful bride. Happy Anniversary to the love of my life. ~OC

Like a marathon, life has no timeouts, no halftimes or intermissions. God has given each of us a race to run. Each of our races are unique. How cool is that?  Go run your race! ~OC

Most athletes have rituals, something they do before an event or during the season. It might be eating the same thing on game day. It might be not washing their baseball cap during the season. I had some rituals I did before every marathon. Here are a few.

*The morning of a marathon, I would always watch the video of Team Hoyt (Dick & Rick Hoyt) with the song, “My Redeemer Lives” by Nicole C Mullen. These always gave me inspiration.

*I would watch the video, “That’s My King” by Dr. S.M. Lockridge. This always fired me up.

*The first song I would listen to when the race started was, “My Redeemer Lives” by Nicole C Mullen. It always helped me pace myself.

*At the 13.1 mark of the race, I would listen to “Livin’ On A Prayer” by Bon Jovi. That always motivated me to keep moving forward.

Those were just a few of my race-day rituals. I truly miss my running days, but I am happy God has me running a different race these days. It is a race to encourage others going through their own journey. ~OC

Hello!  If you have have questions about my crazy/beautiful health journey or you need some coaching tips about your own journey, feel free to contact me. It would be my honor to help you if I can. I am also available to come speak at your next event. ~OC

This crazy/beautiful health journey is not about me. It is not to show you how strong I am, for my strength comes from God. It is not to show you how great my faith is, for my faith is a gift from God. This journey is not about showing you how courageous I am, for my courage comes from God, exactly at the time I need it. Anything you see in me that is good is not of my doing, it is from Heaven. ~OC

My heart continues to be broken by the division and hate I see around the world. All you have to do is turn on the TV, social media or just walk out the door. That does not mean I am giving up.

This is not an old man, letting out my long complaint. But I do remember a time, not so long ago, that you could sit down and have a respectful conversation, while  disagreeing on a subject. You might not change their mind and they may not change yours, but you walked away still being friends or family. That has changed the past few years. These days, families and friendships are being split apart because of a difference of opinions. No longer can you share an opinion on social media and not expect to be attacked by someone because they have a different opinion. Seriously? What can we do to stop all of this craziness?

We could stop having conversations with people in which we disagree. We could leave social media or just post photos of cute animals. I do like those post. We could keep our opinions to ourselves. I do not like any of those suggestions. Oh, please keep the cute animal post coming, though.

How about this wild idea? We start respecting others’ opinions, even if we disagree. We can stop having rude interactions, back and forth, on social media. Instead, we actually meet in person and have a respectful conversation, listening to each other. We can actually explain our opinions, in person, instead of posting on social media, ricking it being taken out of context. Let’s have a real conversation, in person. What a novel idea.

Can we stop all this division by sitting down and talking face to face? Probably not, but it is a start. We will never get anything accomplished by yelling at each other on social media. Plus you are not restricted to a 140-character conversation, in person. ~OC

Hello! I pray everyone is having a fantastic week. I have been praying for you.

If you would like to connect with me on social media, here is where you can find me:

On Facebook: Todd OC Shoemaker (Blessed Overcomer), The Blessed Overcomer and Team Blessed Overcomer.

On Twitter: Todd OC Shoemaker (@toddeshoemaker), The Blessed Overcomer (@TheBlessedOC) and Team Blessed Overcomer (team_overcomer).

On Instagram: ToddEShoemaker, The Blessed Overcomer and Team Blessed Overcomer.

Feel free to come by and say hello. Have a wonderful and blessed day. ~OC