‘Every day that I get is a gift’: Utah man uses clowning to cope with kidney failure

CENTERVILLE, Utah (ABC4) — To find a dream, hope, and purpose, this Utah man with kidney failure said he uses clowning.

Mat Uhl, also known as Beeber B. Clown, applied for a scholarship to the selective World Clown Convention and got it.

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Now, this clown is on his way to Orlando.

“I’m not going to be here forever and I know that — and that’s part of my clowning — the storyline of death. … I just said to myself you have to find a way, you have to find a way to go [to the convention],” Uhl said.

He is finding a way to go, even if each step of the way is hard. And clowning, he said, has been his way to survive the hard.

“[Clowning] has always been something I followed,” Uhl said.

When Uhl retired and fell ill with kidney failure, he had to move out of his house. He said that when that part of his life changed, he devoted himself deeper into clowning.

He now uses clowning to bring joy to others, and in turn, brings joy to himself.

In Orlando, Uhl will not only learn during the clown convention, but compete — hoping to take home the master clown title.

While his loved ones are worried about traveling in his condition, he does not worry.

“I have to live as hard as I can. Every day that I get is a gift,” he said.

While a kindhearted sponsor is covering Uhl’s airfare to the convention, he said he still needs to find a way to cover the costs of the hotel, food, and transportation to and from dialysis.

If you would like to help, Uhl has set up a GoFundMe, which you can view here.

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