Mark Joseph O'Brien, the subject of an Academy award winning documentary about his journalism career, conducted mostly from an iron lung, died on July 4th, at his home in Berkeley, California, he was 49 years old. The cause of death was complications from bronchitis, said his brother Kenneth O'Brien. He was born in Boston, MA and was raised in Sacramento, CA. He was just a boy at six years old when polio left him paralyzed from the neck down, and forced him to use the iron lung. His first written work was an essay published in 1979, when the Co-Evolution Quarterly printed his essay on independent living. Sandy Close later on also helped Mark O'Brien publish "Breathing Lessons". In 1982 Mark graduated from the University Of California At Berkeley, with a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature. He was admitted to the Graduate School of Journalism at Berkeley. His acceptance helped other severely disabled applicants to be accepted at colleges and universities throughout the country. The 1997 film, "Breathing Lessons", directed by Jessica Yu described his struggle to live productively with minimal assistance and his determination to live on his own and work. He also founded a publishing company, he called it the Lemonade Factory, a small press in Berkeley that publishes poetry by people with disabilities. Mark was a strong Roman Catholic, his faith helped him cope with his disability. He had three great passions besides writing, Shakespeare, baseball, & horses. The 2012 film, "The Sessions", starring John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, & William H. Macy, also documents his life until his death. He is survived by his father Walter F. O'Brien of Granite Bay, CA, his brother Kenneth O'Brien also of Granite Bay, CA, his sister Rachel O'Brien-Jordan of Weimar, CA. He was buried at New Auburn Cemetery in Auburn, Placer County, California on July 11th, 1999. Here is one of his poems that he wrote called:
"Breathing"
Written By Mark Joseph O'Brien
"This most excellent canopy, the air, look you,
Presses down upon me
At fifteen pounds per square inch,
A dense, heavy, blue glowing ocean,
Supporting the weight of condors
That swim its churning currents.
All I get is a thin stream of it,
A finger's width of the rope that ties me to life
As I labor like a stevedore to keep the
connection."
"Breathing"
Written By Mark Joseph O'Brien
"This most excellent canopy, the air, look you,
Presses down upon me
At fifteen pounds per square inch,
A dense, heavy, blue glowing ocean,
Supporting the weight of condors
That swim its churning currents.
All I get is a thin stream of it,
A finger's width of the rope that ties me to life
As I labor like a stevedore to keep the
connection."
Mark Joseph O'Brien, the subject of an Academy award winning documentary about his journalism career, conducted mostly from an iron lung, died on July 4th, at his home in Berkeley, California, he was 49 years old. The cause of death was complications from bronchitis, said his brother Kenneth O'Brien. He was born in Boston, MA and was raised in Sacramento, CA. He was just a boy at six years old when polio left him paralyzed from the neck down, and forced him to use the iron lung. His first written work was an essay published in 1979, when the Co-Evolution Quarterly printed his essay on independent living. Sandy Close later on also helped Mark O'Brien publish "Breathing Lessons". In 1982 Mark graduated from the University Of California At Berkeley, with a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature. He was admitted to the Graduate School of Journalism at Berkeley. His acceptance helped other severely disabled applicants to be accepted at colleges and universities throughout the country. The 1997 film, "Breathing Lessons", directed by Jessica Yu described his struggle to live productively with minimal assistance and his determination to live on his own and work. He also founded a publishing company, he called it the Lemonade Factory, a small press in Berkeley that publishes poetry by people with disabilities. Mark was a strong Roman Catholic, his faith helped him cope with his disability. He had three great passions besides writing, Shakespeare, baseball, & horses. The 2012 film, "The Sessions", starring John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, & William H. Macy, also documents his life until his death. He is survived by his father Walter F. O'Brien of Granite Bay, CA, his brother Kenneth O'Brien also of Granite Bay, CA, his sister Rachel O'Brien-Jordan of Weimar, CA. He was buried at New Auburn Cemetery in Auburn, Placer County, California on July 11th, 1999. Here is one of his poems that he wrote called:
"Breathing"
Written By Mark Joseph O'Brien
"This most excellent canopy, the air, look you,
Presses down upon me
At fifteen pounds per square inch,
A dense, heavy, blue glowing ocean,
Supporting the weight of condors
That swim its churning currents.
All I get is a thin stream of it,
A finger's width of the rope that ties me to life
As I labor like a stevedore to keep the
connection."
"Breathing"
Written By Mark Joseph O'Brien
"This most excellent canopy, the air, look you,
Presses down upon me
At fifteen pounds per square inch,
A dense, heavy, blue glowing ocean,
Supporting the weight of condors
That swim its churning currents.
All I get is a thin stream of it,
A finger's width of the rope that ties me to life
As I labor like a stevedore to keep the
connection."
