Being alone can be hard, whether it is a couple of days being locked up at home, or say, months in a hospital bed, stuck in quarantine and living in isolation from the rest of the world. Well, for Christiaan Van Vuuran, better known as The Fully Sick Rapper, this was his life for the former half of 2010. Being diagnosed with a multi-drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis in December 2009, his story has only just begun, and he shares some of it with Zoe Ferguson.

Start from the beginning Christiaan, how did this all happen?
Well I worked at JCDecaux (yes, when you're sitting at a bus-stop and watching the advertisements rotate - that was me) in Sydney for a few years and then in October 2009 I went to South America with some mates for 3-4 weeks, just for fun, to party, that sort of thing. We had an amazing time travelling around, from Argentina, to Brazil then Rio etc, we had the best time. But to be honest, we probably slept about two hours every night...and drank alot...and ate pretty unhealthily. Halfway through the trip I felt a bit...off, you could say. But I self-diagnosed it as a reaction to my lifestyle whilst travelling, which wasn't the best, let's face it. Brushing the fevers and a cough that got scratchier and scratchier towards the end of the trip off, I returned home and went straight back to work. I was at a client lunch and I started having a coughing fit at the table, and excused myself to the bathroom only to be met with a small puddle of blood in the palm of my hand - I was coughing up blood and quite a lot of it too. I called an ambulance and got driven to Sydney Hospital where they took an XRay and told me I had a hole in my lung, the size of a 50c piece. They placed me under quarantine, while they waited for the test results, and after two days the diagnosis stated I had tuberculosis. I was sent into isolation for 21 days, and put on medication for the next six months.

That would have been hard, not being prepared for isolation, how did you feel?
It sounded like a long time, and I didn't know what to do with myself. In the second week of isolation I made my first 'Fully Sick Rapper' video just for a laugh and to relieve the boredom, sent it to friends and soon enough it got 10,000 hits which was awesome but a huge surprise because I wasn't expecting that at all.

So what happened after those 21 days?
They released me on 1st January - but when I got home, I didn't feel 100% - I started coughing up blood again, got fevers and started losing weight again. My friends called me The Machinist - that's how awful I was looking (and feeling). I went back to the hospital, they said I was fine, went back home, then one night my lung filled up with blood  and I coughed it all up. Again I went to the hospital, only to be turned away. After mentally preparing myself to deal with it and get back to work, I got a phone call on 18th January; it was the hospital telling me my tuberculosis was drug resistant...to all of the medication. I was to be put in quarantine for the remainder of the near-future, they couldn't estimate the time needed for recovery. I ran home, grabbed my keyboard, guitar, ukulele (the ultimate instrument), costumes, laptop - anything to keep isolation entertaining!

So you were prepared for the long haul this time - but before quarantine, you hadn't used social networking sites before?
No I hadn't - it was strange - being in isolation, I felt more connected to the world than being in it - in a sense. The more I made the videos, the more hits, support and followers I got. I really turned the experience into a positive one - you can either be consumed by the negativity of such a state, of being sick, alone and unsure of the future, or you can put a positive spin on it and make the most of it, which is what I did. It was a productive stay, I must say!

Your YouTube videos (individually) have received 1,863,683 hits (and counting) - is that incredibly surreal?
It totally is, seeing as the Fully Sick Rapper videos started as a joke for friends' eyes only. But it turned into something more - with my time in isolation, I read alot about TB and with the exposure I raised awareness about the condition, and then in March the World Health Organization in Geneva contacted me, asking if I'd make a video for World TB Day on March 24th. From there I've been involved in more social media campaigns, websites and charity work which has all been amazing.

Part of that charity work was '30 Days Has September' - tell us about that
My two friends and I always did this in September, where every day you had to do something new - and the weekend before I was being released from quarantine (29th June) we sat down and brainstormed about things to do every day, from flying helicopters, setting our 'sex on fire' and my favourite, pole-dancing...my favourite day for multiple reasons! It was a great cause though, it was partnered with The Noffs Foundation, more specifically The Street University; it was exciting to raise money to give street kids a chance at a new beginning. After being in hospital for that long, you notice what you've always taken for granted; air, sunlight, friend's company, everything.

TB really struck you down, but you've been lucky enough to come out the other end with a smile on your face - without this bitter-sweet lesson, do you think you would have been as well as you were by June? Or even at all?
I know that it would definitely have been a longer and harder process. I truly learnt the power of the mind through this time, how much positivity or negativity can affect your physical wellbeing - especially with the drug's side-effects (depression, anxiety) they were reflected in the test results which proves your mental state really does impact on the rest of you. Without the time to reflect on what I was doing, who I was surrounding myself with, I don't know whether I would have had the courage to change jobs and make such a radical change to my world-view. But I'm happy, and I'm glad it has happened, because I feel better for it.

So what are you up to now and what's next?
My brother and I are starting a web-series "The Fully Sick and the Side Effect Project"...my brother being the 'side effect'. I've got more charity work on the horizon along with other surprises that I'll definitely keep you posted on - but they're being kept on the down low for now!

Where are your favourite places to go in Sydney

Bar -  The Beach Road Hotel

Cafe - Taste Cafe on Kent St

Restuarant - SeaLevel Restaurant & Bar in Cronulla

Venue - The Basement - played there the other night...with my ukulele!

So next time you're home alone, or feeling a bit scratchy in the throat - remember it could be worse - you could be in quarantine for 5 months with a hole in your lung. But if you come out the other end as bright, bubbly and fortunate as Christiaan, then it'll be half your luck. Keep tabs on this man - he's doing some amazing things.