John Tacket

This is a picture of John Tacket.

Usually when someone says "hero" the image of a superhero pops into their head. Not for me. When someone says "hero" an image of John Tacket comes into my head. This little boy was an amazing person. He suffered from a disease called progeria. This is when a person ages faster than everyone else. He truly is the world's greatest hero! He has so many qualities that make him a true hero. Some of these are, bravery, strong will and he was a paragon. In the next few paragraphs, I will explain each quality and how John shows them.

John Tacket was very brave, he knew he was going to die at a very early age and he still did all the things he wanted to do. He played with his friends, went to school, and even babysat his sister. He didn't stay at home all day waiting for his time to come. He made the best of each and every day. He acted as if he didn't even have the disease. Knowing he was going to die at any time and still doing all of his daily routines, shows a huge amount of bravery.

This is John and his mother

Not only was John brave, but he also had strong will. John fought his whole life with progeria, and ended up to be the oldest person with the disease to live in America. He pushed through the disease and did things normal kids did. He got a job at a restaurant, played pool, and was in his school's marching band. If I were him, I would have not done anything but feel bad for myself. John never did that. He showed a lot of strong will, he wanted to live for as long as he could and he did.

John Tacket is a paragon. I bet most of you don't know what a paragon is; well a paragon is a model of excellence. A lot of people will agree with me that John is indeed a paragon. The way he dealt with his disease was just amazing. Nothing could put him down. His way of not giving up and doing everything that he would have done if he wasn't dealing with this disease.

This is John with a famous musician.

John Tacket is a hero to not just me but too many others. The way he showed bravery, strong will, and that he was a paragon were just some of the heroic qualities he had. This little boy fought his disease and lived everyday to its fullest. The things John taught me were, to never give up, to live life like it might be your last, and to just have fun. Rest in peace John Tacket. To learn more about the disease and other children who have this horrible disease, please visit: www.progeriaresearch.org.