Kortni Adam

What is a hero? Now that I am almost fully grown, I have finally realized what a true hero is. I am not talking about the average people kind of heroes. I am talking about the out-of-this world kind of heroes; people that can not possibly be human. Someone that is so selfless that they must be a gift from God. So truly amazing they can not possible be real. To me heroes are angels, purposely put on this earth for a reason. I have only had the honour of meeting one true angel in my lifetime and even then I only got to keep her for three short years. Kortni Adam was an out-of-this-world type of hero.

I had the honour of meeting Kortni Adam a long time ago at a Bible camp. For years our lives intertwined but we never actually talked because we didn't hang out with the same people. Kortni never wore make-up, was always wearing PJ pants with sweat shirts, and was faithful to her favourite pink camouflage cap. She never seemed like someone I would hang out with, but that was who Kortni was. She always put herself second. In 2009 I was volunteering at that same camp and my life changed forever. Kortni and I met that summer, following our mutual passion for working with children. Within the first couple of days Kortni and I became best friends. Kortni lived for volunteering and for those kids. She would spend entire summers there, without even going home on weekends like the rest of us. The best part of Kortni was the fact that she was a true best friend. She was always there for you when you needed her, and was an amazing listener. Although I only got to see Kortni a couple of times a year after that one summer, it seemed like we never missed anything important in each other's lives. Life will always get in the way of friendships and people will always go their separate ways, but that's the beauty of best friends, you can always pick up just where you left off. With Kortni it was always like that. A year may have gone by but she was always the same old Kortni. Outside of camp Kortni lived with her mother and sister in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. She was born on June 2nd, 1993 and passed away on December 19th, 2012, while texting and driving. I no longer despise the world for taking her because I have realized that yes, Kortni died young, but in those 18 short years she accomplished so much. I no longer dwell on the fact that she is gone. I celebrate that she got to live and that she had the opportunity to touch so many lives.

Kortni Adam was truly amazing. For many she was their only friend. Kortni loved those kind of people that others were to selfish to love. She befriended the outcasts, the weirdos, and the creeps. She didn't care if you weren't perfect, or if you were a little strange. Kortni never met anyone that she did not like. She was friends with everyone. Although she was only 16 at the time that I met her, she taught me things that no one else managed to show me. She taught me that true beauty really is on the inside, that everyone deserves to be loved, and that only God has the right to judge. I am so lucky to have met her; if I hadn't I wouldn't have learned so many life lessons. It always amazed me that she was so kind and loving, when at home she was tormented and bullied. She did not have a very good home life at all but still managed to always carry a smile. Kortni is a hero because she was so completely selfless that she could not possibly be human in my mind. Kortni must have been an angel.

Kortni's favourite time of year was March because that was the month that Saskatchewan held it's Telemiracle program, which raised money for the underprivileged. She was always ready to jump right into any situation; if she could help, she would. She loved to volunteer and help out in any way possible. When the flood hit Swift Current, Kortni was one of the first people to jump in and help stack sand bags. I will never have the words to truly give Kortni the acknowledgement that she deserves. There are no words that will ever do her justice. Kortni was nothing short of amazing but she would never be the kind of person to flaunt it. Kortni never wanted anyone to worry about her. She never was one to expect the praise that she deserved.

Kortni 18 years old (I stole this off facebook from her sister (Kendra Adam took this picture))

Heroes are not wasted lives; they are put on this earth for a reason. Kortni was born for a purpose, and when she fulfilled it, she went back to heaven. Kortni touched the lives of everyone she met and changed many of them. She was truly a hero. "Angels live in heaven and humans stay on earth" Kortni was one of those angels and for that she will always be my hero.