John Tacket

John Tacket. The person I chose was John Tacket, He was born with progeria. Progeria is when the body grows faster than the brain and that is why the kids affected with it die young. This syndrome affects more that 1 of every 5 million to 10 million babies. John died on Wednesday, March 3, 2004.

John Tacket is a hero to me because he went to hospital to see kids with progeria and told them to never give up because kids with progeria die at a very young age. John died at 16 but he also set a record because he was the oldest person to live with progeria in the world. Doctors did a lot of tests on him because he lived for the longest. They did the test to try and find a way to cure progeria so kids don't have to go through it. John's parents were so proud of him because he was a fighter and fought through progeria.

John loved to talk in large crowds. Once he got to play with a famous band but he couldn't play long because he ran out of oxygen because he has very small lungs. The crowd loved him and sent gifts home with him to make him feel better because he was embarrassed about leaving the stage in the middle of the concert. When John looked like he was eight he was only 2 inside his body. His parents were sad when he was born because they knew he would die young. John only lived for a little over 5683 days in his life. A normal person lives for 1 to 2 hundred thousand days.

John's daily routine started at 6:30 by getting on the bus and going to school where he was in 8th grade and had hundreds of friends. John also liked to play the drums and street hokey with his dad. John hated getting up in the morning for school. 

John wished they could find a cure to progeria. John said that the hardest part of school was not being able to wear a short sleeved shirt or shorts because his veins looked weird. John loved to watch the Disney Channel with his friends. John babysat his 9 year old sister until his mom and dad got home from work. When people asked what was wrong John said he had a disease called progeria. John had to leave class early to get to his locker and change books because it hurt his back. John's dreams were to become a professional drum player or an advertisement agent. John used his free time to get his homework done so he didn't stay up very late because he needed a lot of rest. John had progeria as long as he could start remembering things. John said that when people stared at him it bothered him because he would like them to say hello or ask what's wrong. He liked the kids because they would wave and then come up to him so they could meet him. John got laughed at when he first started at his new school in 8th grade it really bothered him. His favorite part of school was going to art because he liked to draw pictures of ice rinks and hockey players. John loved to hang out with his friends and play basketball. His friends usually gave up and sit down before John does because they were out of breath. When John played basketball, he needed a low hoop and a small ball at school when they played basketball John just played kick ball with his friends. I chose John because he went to hospitals to talk to kids with disabilities and that to me makes a great hero. That is why I chose John Tacket.