Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashton Hardy.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born with a condition called Congenital Heart Defect (CHD for short) and a form called Hypo Plastic Right Heart Syndrome which in short means I’m missing the right side of my heart. This has limited me in many ways, mainly physical, but I had to find other avenues of passion and downtime. One thing I picked up on very early was technology in general, but I started to get into camera work soon after. Eventually, I taught myself how to film and edit videos. I have gone into heart failure twice in my life so far and after the second time while I was in high school, I decided I wanted to make a YouTube channel to share more of my story and adventures as I’ve been told numerous times by friends and family that my life is like a movie. I fell in love with making videos and sharing them online, and have gained a lot of new friends through it within connections with other heart patients or others who share similar interests. I have always known I’ll have to get a heart transplant eventually in my life and that is nearing to happen within the next few years. After being told most of my life I would never make it to adulthood, I eventually passed the age 18, but that’s after numerous operations and appointments that I will have to endure the rest of my life, but it made me realize how much more of a life I was granted even after facing death on multiple occasions. More recently I came out as gay when I saw that I was getting more of a life than originally planned and have extended my content and audience on my YouTube channel to a whole new group and community and it’s been a wild ride with that now too.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Most of my struggles stem from my heart condition. I have probably had around 30 surgeries in my life thus far, including small operations and bigger ones. From having so many surgeries, I’ve had to miss out on some things and it has even caused me some extra pain like scoliosis. When I was in high school, I was in heart failure a second time and didn’t have the energy to simply walk between classes so I ended up riding a wheelchair most of my time in high school. Many believed this would be my finish line and I actually have many letters from family and friends telling me their final goodbyes, but obviously, I’m still here. Career-wise, it’s limited me too as I don’t have the energy to do a lot of heavy lifting jobs, I can’t often work full time and so my hours of work are limited and that has stopped me from going out and living on my own as well. I will never be able to live on my own, whether that be because of money or simply the fact that I always have a high chance of not waking up the next morning and needing someone just to make sure I’m getting up and am alright.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My day job is I work at Michaels, the arts and crafts store. I’ve been there for 8 years now, but I have started making a name for myself on YouTube and within social media. It’s been a slow burn but I’ve gained some amazing opportunities through it. A lot of people know me by my channel name ‘smASH’ which is a nickname a friend from high school gave me. Many know me for my heart condition, love for Scooby-Doo and more recently my coming out story and journey thus far. I’ve been doing YouTube since 2016 and film and edit all my videos myself which are a mix of vlogs, unboxings, challenge videos, and so much more, I try it all. I have formed many friends and connections through that but also a great support system. Most of what I do on my channel I learned and taught all myself while trying to make it work out for me. I would love to become a full-time content creator because I love doing it and it’s something I can do with my heart condition.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I make my videos on YouTube, but before I started making videos on YouTube, I used to hate the platform. I saw no reason for it, didn’t enjoy the videos on it, and thought it was just a site for cat videos and for people to waste their time. But it has evolved like crazy and I just hadn’t found the right content for me yet until I stumbled across iJustine and her channel and realized you can share your passion for video creating there. And a fun little extra, Justine Ezarik is the woman and channel that inspired me to start YouTube, and within three years of creating on the platform, I got the opportunity to meet her and her sister on an experience they invited me to. A lot of people probably know that but I have grown a lot since that opportunity so some might not have seen it since it’s been a few years now.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/ashtonhardy_?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ashtonhardy_?s=21&t=q18MQFc4hBkllrwZEtHG-Q
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ASHtonHardy_
