For those who have never heard of Ozzy Man, he is an Australian YouTube influencer from Perth with over 4.6 million YouTube subscribers and 11 million Facebook followers. Real name Ethan Marrell, he entertains the world with his comedy under his stage name.
He started uploading videos to Facebook and YouTube in April 2014, and he uses remixes, narrations and video reactions to keep his audience laughing. His brash way of speaking and foul language may turn some people off, but others have said he curses with style. Although he uses the F-bomb a ton in his compilations, his ability to entertain is guaranteed to make viewers laugh by the end of his videos.
Marrell started “Ozzy Man Reviews” as a project while he was at Curtin University completing a master’s degree in internet communications. He has been around for seven years and shows no signs of slowing down — after all, his fanbase continues to grow daily due to his comedic wit. Everyone from teens to individuals in their 60s are watching Ozzy Man’s channels and laughing their heads off. It is well worth it to check Ozzy Man out on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
The Beginning of It All
In Ozzy Man’s Sept. 4 video, “Dad Fails,” fan Kyle Walsh reached out asking for help with his child Richie, who was in stage four of a cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer that develops from the muscle cells. The cancer usually begins in muscles attached to bones that help the body move, but it may begin in many other places, as well.
Kyle and Richie were supposed to travel to the United States at the end of this year for treatment. At the end of the “Dad Fails” video, Ozzy Man shared this information with his viewers to try and help raise money for the Walshes. Unfortunately, Richie Walsh succumbed to his cancer in late September at just 9 years old. Richie fought stage four rhabdomyosarcoma for over 16 months, undergoing both chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
In his video, Ozzy Man said he was going to donate a couple grand himself for the cause. Fortunately, his plea started the ball rolling. He informed all his viewers that he would shave off his hair if he could raise $500,000 by the end of September. Toward the end of the month, Ozzy Man posted a video of himself getting his head shaved, but it turned out that he was wearing a wig with his hat.
He cut the wig’s hair, pretending to get it shaved, and then proceeded to take the wig off and get his real hair shaved. Ozzy Man announced, “This is for solidarity as well with the kids who are going through childhood cancer.” Even though he was just shy of the $500,000 goal, he shaved his hair anyway because he wanted his followers to know he was serious about the cause.
He promoted 12 families dealing with childhood cancer using #ChildhoodCancerAwarenessMonth, raised $400,000 in direct donations for GoFundMe pages and raised $70,000 more in #fuckcancer T-shirt sales. The T-shirts sold for $25 apiece, with $15 from each T-shirt sold going toward the donations. They will be available until Oct. 7.
Helping Different Families
In Australia, there are up to 1,000 kids and teens each year diagnosed with cancer. Nickolas, who has had aggressive myeloid leukemia since he was 12, is among the children Ozzy Man has promoted and helped. Myeloid leukemia is a type of cancer that resides within the blood cells and bone marrow and is caused by an excess of immature white blood cells. Nickolas is currently receiving his third round of chemotherapy and will hopefully receive a bone marrow transplant as well. He is the youngest of four siblings, and the cancer team has suggested that the family have all the other siblings tested to see if they are a match for the bone marrow transplant. Fortunately, one of his sisters is a match.
There is also Taleigha Rose, who has mixed phenotype acute leukemia and is also receiving chemotherapy. Mixed phenotype acute leukemia is two forms of leukemia combined: acute myeloid and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The term “mixed phenotype” means “both types.” Taleigha Rose has had to deal with vision issues, mobility problems, blood clots, diabetes and temporary paralysis. She was 15 years old when she was diagnosed, and she is currently going for her 16th surgery since receiving her diagnosis.
Lastly, there is Sammy, who was supposed to travel to the United States with her mother around Oct. 15 for neuroblastoma treatment. However, the family was informed that there are no flights to the United States until mid-December due to the pandemic. This means they would have to quarantine for two weeks and miss Christmas with the rest of their family, including Sammy’s two siblings and identical twin.
Neuroblastoma is a cancer frequently found in the small glands on top of the kidney. Sammy struggles with kidney issues and high-range hearing loss, which means she now uses hearing aids. Neuroblastoma only has a 50% survival rate.
These are just a few of the families Ozzy Man has promoted and helped, but there are more that need assistance on his various social media accounts. According to the Aussie staff at GoFundMe, over 16,000 people from more than 90 different countries have donated to the causes promoted by Ozzy Man. They have sold 8,000 T-shirts and counting, and they have raised between $650,000 and $700,000 within three to four weeks. As time moves forward, fans and creator alike are hoping to see those numbers climb.
