Tessa

Before I Die book cover

The dictionary defines a hero as "a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities." My definition of a hero is different from this definition though. I believe a hero can be anyone who has done something to be noteworthy of or has done a really good thing for another person or for many people. I believe a hero can be anyone really that has a reason to be looked up to because they must've gone through something huge in their lifetime to be considered a role model.

In life, I think it is important for someone to have a hero to be able to model themselves after. Heroes aren't just the people in story books anymore; they have become your everyday, average people. If someone has something hard in their lives that they are going through, I know from first-hand experience that it helps to personally know or to know of someone who has been through the struggle too. Whether you're going through something like bullying or maybe even a hardship like having cancer, it helps to know you're not alone. It makes you aspire to want to be like the person who has made it through it and is a stronger, better person now because of it.

Tessa, the main character in the novel, "Before I Die," displays many heroic characteristics throughout the novel. One characteristic Tessa has is that she is brave. This shows when she says, "All I know is that I have two choices - stay wrapped up in blankets and get on with dying or get the list back together and get on with living" (Downham 55). This shows her bravery because even though she is sick, she still is brave enough to go out and do all the rebellious things on her list before she dies. Another characteristic of being a hero that Tessa has is that she is driven. She shows this quality when she states, "I don't want to spend the rest of my life huddled in a blanket on the sofa with my head on Dad's shoulder. The list is the only thing keeping me going" (Downham 81). Lastly, the heroic quality that I admire of Tessa is that she is able to forgive, forget, and let go as is alluded to when she says, "Moments. All gathering towards this one" (Downham 327). Therefore, Tessa has many heroic qualities.

There are many reasons that I firmly believe that Tessa should be inducted into a hero hall of fame. She showed admirable qualities during her fight with her leukemia. Tessa was brave and driven, in the sense she knew she was sick, but she knew she should still get out of bed regardless and keep on with living. Knowing you only had so long left to your life probably would be one of the-if not hardest- things a human being could go through. I also think it is powerful that Tessa somehow learned how to accept that idea, as horrifying as that must have been. Not many people have the capability to care for other people the way Tessa did even when she was going through such sickness herself and not once did she have self-pity. Few can love other human beings unconditionally in such a way and I feel that this alone should induct Tessa into a hero hall of fame because it really is a heroic and beautiful characteristic.

Leukemia Ribbon

Rebecca - Thank you for being here today Tessa, I am grateful to be able to interview you under such stressful circumstances.

Tessa - I am glad to be here. I want to get my name out as one of the things I want to do is to become famous before my death.

R - Yes, about that. How is coping with the fact that you know your days are limited?

T - It's not easy, but I'm making the best out of what I have and I have had many role models I can look up to.

R - Who are you main role models?

T - Well, I really look up to other cancer patients and also to my family.

R - Your family?

T - Yes, my whole family has been really supportive through this process and they have been understanding. They have been helpful also for helping me achieve the things on my list. If I had the chance to grow old with Adam and have a family of my own, I'd want to be more like them in that way.

R - That's understandable. So obviously you could change destiny if you could to be able to have a family of your own?

T - Well, yes and no. I mean, I would really like to grow up and have more life experiences like marrying Adam and to be able to be there for the birth of Zoey's baby, but at the same time, I think it was my fate to go out this way.

R - So you believe in fate?

T - Yeah. I feel like I have a purpose and for some reason this was meant to happen. I always grew up knowing that.

R - How did that come into play?

T - My dad is one of my biggest heroes in my life. He taught that to me at a young age.

R - Any other reasons he is a hero?

T - I just love him for all he does. He always puts Cal and I first in his life and I think it is admirable.

R - What about your mom?

T - My mom left when I was little so now, Cal and I live with my dad.

R - What do you want people to remember you for?

T - I want people to remember me as fighting for what I wanted to do because I believed in it.

R - That's very respectable. What is the final thing you want to say to people?

T - I just want people to know how thankful I am to have them in my life.