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When I watch a competition show on TV, (AGT, The Voice, American Idol and others), they will often show a tear jerking backstory of struggle for the talent presented. It is always a heart warming tale of how the talent has had to undergo impossible odds to be on the show. These stories evoke empathy as some of the struggles are hard to imagine happening to anyone. On the other hand, we all have hardships. Some of my life hardships is outlined below. All of it is true, but as horrible as it may sound in places, please know I am extremely happy and so deeply blessed. We cannot control all that happens to us in life, but we can control how we act and react ... and for me that makes all the difference. 

Doug "Magic" Sparkes has had a passion for creating wonder and connection his entire life. As a child he often wrote short, comedic stories, plays and performed occasional neighborhood magic (the mothers loved it). At age 18, Doug's father passed away unexpectedly on New Years Day. The heart breaking event had economic repercussions too. Doug quickly realized in order to go onto college as he had hoped, he would now have to find work, and pay his way without family financial assistance. Regardless, Doug felt a college degree would help him have a better chance in helping him enter the entertainment industry and improve his chances for success. And by entertainment he meant he was open to it all; radio, TV, film, script writing and even advertising. This desire sustained him through some very tough years. Due to financial and other hardships, it took six years instead of the usual four for Doug to earn his Bachelor's degree in Speech, Telecommunications, and Film from the University of Oregon. With his degree in hand Doug believed he was ready to conquer the entertainment world ... except life had other plans. Due to a university administration mishap, Doug was informed well into the new quarter that he had not taken enough math courses to graduate. This  meant he would not have a degree until he took just more science class in the fall quarter nearly six months. Making matters worse, until Doug's summer job in Alaska began, he was now completely broke. He reluctantly applied and received state food stamp assistance and picked up odd. low paying jobs in the area. 

Nevertheless, Doug still managed to be entertaining. One of he college roommates signed up to compete in the first annual Eugene, Oregon Laff-A-Thon. Every week, for 10 weeks, 10 different comedians competed against each other. The winner each week would return at the end of the 10 weeks for a final competition. It would be a final show off between the 10 finalists to determine who was the funniest comedian. With Doug's and another friends help, Doug's roommate won his event and then placed third in the finals (first and second place winners were professional comedians). This small victory gave Doug the awareness he might do very well entertaining people for a living ... then reality hit him hard on the side of the head. Doug returned home that fall and spent the quarter in community college earning a few credits that would grant him his degree. After earning his degree he found himself almost flat broke again and wondering what he should do next. His brother was working at a new company and suggested Doug apply to work at their fifth location in Tacoma. Doug applied and took the job believing it would get him some greatly needed cash. He told everyone this was only a summer job at best.  And then, the next thing Doug knew, 37 years had passed. The summer job ended up becoming a corporate career. He got married. He had two kids and then a tragic divorce. His kids went with their mom to California. He seldom saw them, except school breaks. Losing his kids brought Doug to his knees. He begged God to help him and the good Lord heard his prayer. From that moment on, Doug's life changed. It grew slowly, but it grew into something much better. Sometime in the mid 1990's he began studying and performing magic ... first as a hobby and then slowly more and more professional. Around 1997, Doug found mentors in the magic community and slowly began his journey as a professional magician. In the meantime his bosses at corporate promoted him.  In 2005 he married the love of his life and a few short months later his kids decided to come live with him.
As Doug's talents in magic grew, he began to perform professionally more and more. He would've loved to have quit his corporate job and become a full time professional magician, but corporate work consistently paid the bills. After 2010, Doug professional gigs steadily grew. By 2015 his professional magic shows began gaining notoriety and attention. Then came 2017 when life started punching Doug very hard. In 2017, he was diagnosed with cancer. In 2019, his second sister sibling died. A year later, his brother passed. A month later, a grandson was born prematurely and was in the NICU for six weeks. Around this same time, a niece was diagnosed with life-threatening health issues, and his last sibling was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Oh, then there was Covid which had all but stopped his professional gigs. 

These and other unexpected events told Doug to change his life sooner than later. At the end 2020, he quit his corporate job and called it early retirement. His last sibling, his sister, passed shortly thereafter. Doug will tell you he is grateful to have had the time and the means to support her as well as he could during her final months on earth. In addition to all this craziness, Doug was unsuccessfully treated three times for his cancer. Then, in early 2023, Doug's heart started beating irregularly and he had to have a pacemaker. 

Ah, but here is the point of this story. If you ask Doug today, he will tell you he has never been happier. "Every day is a blessing. I thank and praise God for it all." Doug clearly sees the value each day brings. As he likes to say, 

"No one is guaranteed a tomorrow but never give up. Keep struggling to make your dreams and aspirations come true."
Since quitting his corporate job Doug has been able to focus full time on magic entertainment and performance. He regularly attends and takes courses at the Mystery School in Las Vegas. He has performed all over the world, but never because he has to, but ONLY because he loves to. If you ask Doug he will tell you Magic Sparkes is fully living out his dreams of bringing laughter, amazement, and healing through his lighthearted comedy magic performances. In his own words, "My life is rich and fulfilling. I perform magic because it helps me connect with others. Magic is healing. Magic is real medicine."