Mattie Stepanek

Mattie J.T. Stepanek (www.colettebaronreid.com)

To me, a hero is someone you look up to. Someone you can say this person changed my life. A hero that is there for love and for helping others. This is why I chose Mattie J.T. Stepanek. He wasn't your average little boy, things went different for him. His disease was a very big part of his life. Instead of looking at it from that view, Mattie looked at it as an opportunity to change things for people who are similar and also people who are struggling and need advice. Mattie did this for the big part of his life. He helped many people and is still helping, even though he is not with us. This is why Mattie J.T. Stepanek is my hero.

Mattie was a little boy, younger than my age today. He was diagnosed with dysautonomic mitochondrial myopathy, a rare form of muscular dystrophy. He wrote many books by the age of around seven. He wrote several poems also by the time he was three. Mattie is a boy that was facing many struggles in his life and still managed to become a famous poet and peacemaker. After seeing this, is when Mattie became my hero, and role model.

Mattie And Jeni Stepanek (www.mda.org)

His disease affected his whole entire life. Mattie managed to accomplish more in his short life, that many people will not get to even do in their life. His mom and him shared poetry to all of the children that go to his educational website in 1997. He had just a few wishes, one to publish his first book. Mattie published three books in his life time. His second wish was to meet his hero, Jimmy Carter. While Mattie was in the hospital, he had a fifteen minute phone conversation with Jimmy. His third wish was to be on Oprah. He appeared on Oprah for his books. He managed to accomplish all of these wishes by October of 2001.

What makes Mattie a hero? Anyone can write a poem? All of this can be asked about my hero. The reason he is a hero is not because he wrote the poem, it's because he looks beyond the views of others. He doesn't just think for himself, he thinks for family, friends, and people he doesn't even know. No matter what, he didn't want to put himself first; he thought of everyone else. The poems were written from the heart that were meant to spread to readers and inspire them. It would hopefully help them to realize so many new things. Mattie believed in himself and he succeeded in the things he did.

Mattie is not your average kid that you would see in the hall at school. He was different in so many ways. He could inspire someone by just looking them in the eye. Mattie was one of the greatest people in history, in my opinion. He believed you didn't have to be famous and normal to change someone's life. His words are another story to read, but also a book you don't want to end. His passion for writing created such peace for others. No matter how long he has been gone, he and his work will be remembered in my heart. Mattie Stepanek is truly my hero.

Thank you for reading this, this is for Mattie and his family. Even though I never met Mattie, he inspired me from his stories and I'm glad I got to write this to inform others about him.