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Zach Sobiech

by Kalea Cadigan from San Diego, California in United States

“Death is just another thing on the agenda kind of. Yeah it’s scary, but the only reason it’s scary it’s scary is because you don't know what's next or if there is a next, so it’s kind of like sitting in the dark.  So you can either choose to be freaking out in the dark and thinking ok what’s out there, or you can just relax and fall asleep and just be happy and content with everything."

“Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you react to it.” This is a true testament of how the young teen viewed life within his last months of life.  Zach Sobiech was a singer and songwriter from Minnesota who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma at the age of fourteen. Once he was diagnosed, he worked even harder to achieve his goals. At the age of eighteen, Sobiech wrote the hit song “Clouds”. Sobiech was born on May 3, 1995, and passed away on May 20th at the young age of eighteen years old. He grew up in Saint Paul, Minnesota with his family of one brother, two sisters, and his mom and dad by his side. In his teenage years, Sobiech released many hit songs and left the world with a message that inspired and touched the hearts of millions. He passed away from his rare form of terminal cancer. A true hero must be strong, not just physically but mentally. They should be faced with a great problem or hardship, and believe they can overcome whatever may be thrown their way. When something gets tough, they can never give up, even when life knocks them down again and again. They will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Zach Sobiech’s great mental and physical strength, shown while he went through his fight against cancer, along with his perseverance, help to define him as a true hero.

Towards the end of Sobiech’s life he showed what it truly meant to have strength. After he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Sobiech began to write music that allowed him to let the world know he was ok. All of his thoughts were written into a song called “Clouds”; “With its buoyant refrain--’We'll go up in the clouds because the view is a little nicer’--it's easy to forget the gravity behind the song. ‘Zach actually wrote it to say goodbye to his family and friends,’ Peck says. ‘That's what 'Clouds' is all about’" (Trust). Instead of just waiting to pass, Zach prepared himself to leave his family by leaving powerful, musical messages for his family to hold on to once he was gone. Little did he know his songs would be loved by millions, and not only would he be heard by the world but he would be able to touch the hearts of so many people. At such a young age he was able to realize that he shouldn't let the thought of death rule his life, but instead he should do what he loves and not let anything stand in his way. Sobiech proved his physical strength when it came to his battle against terminal cancer. Sobiech shows his strength by saying,“I want to be remembered as the kid who went down fighting, and didn't really lose” (Baldoni). This quote shares the idea of how he wanted to be remembered once he was gone. He fought hard to win his battle, even after he had come to accept his situation. By saying this, Zach proved to the world that he never gave up even at his weakest moments. Even towards his last days, Zach mustered up enough strength to pick up his guitar. He left this world happy and doing what he loved. Zach found the strength to do what he loved in his last days of life, along with having the ability to view living with a terminal cancer in a positive light, proves how strong he truly was. The way he decided to live his life surpasses the abilities of most children and adults.

An important part of being a hero is being able to overcome whatever is thrown their way, even when times get tough. This all defines the word perseverance. Zach Sobiech showed high perseverance by facing his illness and still choosing to look at his life in a whole new light. Justin Baldoni, director of “My Last Days”, shares with CNN how amazing it was that Zach was able to rise up against his illness when he says;  "’Going out to see Zach in Minnesota was one of the greatest experiences of my life,’ said Baldoni. ‘To make the choice to be happy despite whatever sad or tragic circumstances you may be living through ... he is this old soul who inspires everyone he meets. You leave and you think: 'I want to be a better person.’”(Teen featured in viral video dies). Sobiech didn't let the fear from being diagnosed with a terminal cancer stop him from living.  Although he was told that he may not live as long as he had originally believed, Sobiech was able to move past the disappointment he felt because of his illness, and look at life in a whole new way. Baldoni admired that Zach didn't give up and continued on with life, living everyday as if it was his last. In the YouTube production “Meet Zach Sobiech | My Last Days”, he shares how he won't get to have the same future as other kids his age. His diagnosis greatly shortened the original future Zach had in mind. He compared the future he faced to everyone else by saying,“I think every teenager out there feels invincible ,and they'll never admit it. It’s not the kind of invincible like superman, it’s the kind of invincible like I’ll see you in five months. I thought I was invincible, I was ready for college pretty much, and I was planning out way ahead. Then you know sometimes it turns out you can't do that” (Baldoni). Zach was just a typical teen making plans for life in the real world, when a chance at his future was taken away. However, he wasn't going to let being diagnosed with a terminal disease stand in his way. He continued to pursue his dreams of making music, while also using music to say his last goodbye's. No matter how sick he became, Sobiech persevere to do what he loved. This quote shows how even though his plan didn't go exactly like he wanted, he never gave up on his dreams. Zach pushed past his illness to do what he loved which is one of the purest examples of perseverance. Zach decided to not allow his diagnosis control the way he lives his life, and he decided to rise up to a better version of himself.

Zach Sobiech showed great strength and perseverance in rising up above his illness and living life in a positive light. He demonstrates strength by continuing to do what he loved, even at his weakest moments. He proved his perseverance by living life to the fullest and not letting cancer stand in the way of him achieving his dreams. Zach’s message that he shared through his music, changed the perspective millions of people had on life. He showed people to get out there and start living because there is nothing holding them back. He lived everyday like it was his last, and while doing so, Sobiech worked incredibly hard to make his dreams a reality all before his time ran out. His perseverance is an inspiration to me because he didn’t let being diagnosed with a terminal cancer scare him out of living his life. Zach changed the way I live my life, the way he chose to live his life despite the circumstances made all my biggest problems seem so much smaller. He showed me that I can’t let the little things hold me back.  Before he passed, Zach left us with a powerful message that, "You don't have to find out you're dying to start living" (Soulpancake).

 

Page created on 1/30/2019 5:43:55 AM

Last edited 1/31/2019 8:50:29 PM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.

Related Links

The Zach Sobiech Osteosarcoma Fund - This website holds Zach's story, along with a place to donate towards the research of his rare form of cancer.
Zach Sobeich, One Year Later | My Last Days - This YouTube production shows updates to Zach's journey around one year later.