Mattie J.T. Stepanek

Mattie Stepanek Author of Heartsongs (http://www.heartsongsgala.org/ images/home/Mattie.jpg)

What comes to mind when I say poetry? A poet's name maybe, a type of poetry, a poem's title? Now, what comes to mind when I say Heartsongs? Many of you probably went blank on that one, but behind that title is a 13-year-old author named Mattie J.T. Stepanek.

Mattie J.T. Stepanek was born on July 17, 1990 with a rare disease called dysautonomic mitochondrial myopathy, a rare disease that affects the function of our muscles as well as our mitochondria. Mattie was not the only one in his family born with the disease. His mom and three of his siblings all died from it.

Because of his disease, Mattie had a very difficult life. To cope with his illness, Mattie wrote poetry. He later got his poems published into books called Heartsongs. Mattie became a best selling author when he was only 11 years of age and still dealing with his illness.

Mattie suffered from a very rare disease (http://www.zerotime.com/ articles/stepanek.jpg)

Writing wasn't Mattie's only outlet for his emotions. He also did public speaking. He was featured on many TV shows, such as the Oprah Winfrey Show, the Today Show, and Good Morning America.

Mattie left this world on June 22, 2004. Mattie Stepanek is definitley a role model for me and everyone else. He shows us that no matter how hard life is, we have to keep on moving and enjoy every minute of it. Mattie has made a huge impact on my life and has really inspired me. Mattie J.T. Stepanek was truly an outstanding boy and will never be forgotten.