Mary O'Quinn

A hero doesn’t need to be fictional or extraordinary. There are stories, such as Beowulf, portraying the hero as a superhuman, capable of overcoming any obstacle or hardship given to them. There are also real-life heroes, such as Elie Wiesel, who told his story of being a Jew during World War II. Both these heroes and their lives are extraordinary. However, not many people, hopefully, have to go through those kinds of scenarios. Most probably never will. Yet, there are heroes everywhere. Everyone needs to be and to have a hero sometimes. There are so many different qualities and traits of heroes. You don’t need to do incredible feats to be a hero. I believe that a hero should be selfless because I believe putting others’ interests before your own is the most important quality a hero can have. They should be approachable so others would be willing to confide in them. Being someone knowledgeable and mentally strong is, in my opinion, also essential because someone who has little experience or is weaker mentally would not be able to help anyone who needed it. My hero is an ordinary person, with ordinary problems. She is a friend I met through the game Dungeons & Dragons. Though we didn’t talk much at first, over time we became closer and started hanging out, even after our mutual friend moved away. Her name is Mary O’Quinn. She is a very good friend and though she has multiple illnesses and has to deal with pain every day, she still cares about everyone and is very easy to talk to.

A hero always has flaws, no matter how perfect the media might portray them to be. Mary has been diagnosed with nonepileptic seizures (NES) and most likely has Tourette’s syndrome as well. NES affects her life more drastically than Tourettes, though she doesn’t have episodes very often. Episodes refer to when she has a loss of consciousness. I have never had any seizures myself, but I have experienced other people having them. I think that I would be very scared if I had a seizure of any kind. “NES are characterized by a loss of or change in physical function without a central nervous system problem” (Nonepileptic). This means that there are no triggers, unlike epileptic seizures, making it that much more unpredictable. When she regains consciousness from an episode, Mary is either awake and remembering or has a period of amnesia, in which case, she is not able to recall people or what she was doing. Not being able to remember anything and always being disoriented is something that I don’t think I could ever accept if it was me. On the other hand, “Tourettes Syndrome is shown by repetitive movements or unwanted sounds (tics) that can’t be easily controlled” (Tourette). Tics are sorted by either simple, such as throat clearing or barking, or complex, such as touching or smelling objects. “Tourettes is more common in males... typically develops between ages 2 and 15” (Tourette). Mary developed Tourettes fairly late, the first tics starting when she was thirteen years old. It was quite odd at first, but it makes things very interesting and gives me a sign of when she might be uncomfortable since her main trigger is stress. Tics tend to bring unwanted attention to whoever has them and usually end up increasing Mary’s anxiety. The problem with that is that it could lead to an episode. It all goes to show that someone doesn’t need to have a perfect life or be flawless to be a hero, they can have big obstacles in their life as well.  They can struggle, yet through that struggle, become stronger and an example for others. Mary has to go through things I could never even imagine. She must struggle to accept her illnesses, yet through all that, she is still a hero to me.

Sometimes, a hero is just someone who listens and understands. Mary is a very good listener and is always there when someone needs to talk to her about anything. She helps all of her friends, even the ones that she knows solely online. She is willing to listen to any problems someone might have and give support to that person. One of the people she helps is Ben. She met him at a convention and they have been friends ever since. He has some problems with his relationship with his parents and no matter how late it may be, Mary has always been there for him to talk to (Gann). In my own experience, Mary always responds as soon as she can and waits while I type out what I need to say. She responds as best she can to help whoever she might be helping. She’s very trustworthy and that makes her super easy to talk to. I feel that it’s better to talk to someone you trust wholeheartedly rather than someone you might not want to tell the full story to.

Mary is a hero to me because she can put herself before others, even though she has many physical issues, and she is a very easy person to talk to, no matter the time or place. A hero doesn’t have to be someone who stands out or is a perfect being, rather they should be more human. I don’t know who I would be if I had never met Mary but I am glad that I don’t have to find out. I believe that if the person you idolize is perfect in every aspect, you would never feel entirely good about yourself. Over time you would start to dislike that person and even become jealous of what they have. Your hero should be someone you connect with. Someone you would feel at ease with, even if you’ve never met them. You should feel, through them, that you matter and that you are irreplaceable. A hero is not a flawless human being, they are imperfect just like every other person. They have flaws, they are not a supreme deity. I think everyone should accept those flaws and learn from them, for everyone has them. Everyone should strive to be the best version of themselves they can be.