Flying down the slopes, wind nipping at my cheeks, we soar down the trail. I’m right behind my cousin JB. “Superman!” I shout, and JB reaches to his right. “Aaannddd, Spongebob!” I yell, then he reaches left. I reference the cartoon duct tape on his mittens to get him to turn. It couldn’t be a more beautiful day, just two cousins and a couple friends skiing. However, JB gets to ski a lot faster and on much more difficult terrain than most other eight-year-olds because he skis quite differently than his peers. We really enjoy skiing together, even though we do not ski like most other people. JB can’t ski normally because of something we found out six years ago…
It was an average weeknight in December. A light snow fell as my family and I drove through the brisk evening air. We were motoring
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over to my aunt and uncle’s house for supper, a weekly occurrence in my family. Everything seemed fine until my mother and aunt pulled me and my elder sister from the dinner table. My aunt, Beth, had a look of despair as she declared she had distressing news. After brief preparation, my mother and aunt declared that JB, Beth’s youngest child, had recently been diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). After several days, my parents spelled out the gut-wrenching details of this devastating disease. DMD is a progressive muscular disease that attacks young males. The disease has no cure. I received the news that JB’s muscles would slowly fail, he would be confined to a wheelchair by his teenage years, and in his early twenties, he would lose his battle due to respiratory system and circulatory system failure. I could not breathe as this news bore down upon me, and I instantly understood why Beth had had a blankness about her face over the previous couple of weeks. Nobody in our close-knit family could function normally for months. Once the initial, devastating shock wore off, JB’s mom got up, took charge, and decided to act instead of just wallowing over the devastation. Beth inspired me and the entire family to not let this horrible news break us. She decided to start a foundation, raise money for research and care, and change the futures of boys with DMD. JB’s Keys, the organization Beth started, is doing a lot of valuable things in terms of treatment and research. The foundation hosts a yearly auction to raise funds and awareness. The money is used to fund exciting research for possible treatments, pay for treatment programs at Mass General Hospital, as well as to contribute to unique opportunities for those impacted by the disease. The organization has raised roughly two million dollars since its start for the betterment of the lives of boys with Duchenne. Beth decided to give JB the best life she could, in whatever time period available. Her positive outlook was incredibly courageous and noble. Beth taught me to see the value in this awful experience. This moment changed how I view the entire world. I learned to see everyone, not as how they look, but as the stories that compose them. My goal became to make the most of every moment and to show JB joy whenever I could. JB has become a member of the Boston College football team through a program for children with life-threatening conditions. His disease doesn’t prohibit us from fun activities like fishing, tubing, and skiing. Due to JB, our entire family delved into adaptive skiing. I’ve been a coach for two years and love every second of it. We gave and continue to give JB a life that is unforgettable. Something really special in JB’s life is his ability to be a part of the BC Football team.
This was made possible by Team Impact, which connects people living with fatal diseases to college sports teams. JB receives the opportunity to attend practices, games, and team events. Some of the players even go trick-or-treating with him on Halloween. Team Impact provides a great example of how people should live, giving opportunities to everyone they can. The program has certainly lightened JB’s life and given him the chance to be a part of a team, something that would seem otherwise impossible with his condition.
During the summer, JB and I get to do a lot of fun things. He can do anything he sets his mind to, he just needs a little help. We swim together, go tubing behind the boat, and fish for striped bass. All he usually needs is a lift every once in awhile and a carry on my back in the water. We swim out to the docks in the harbor, play ping pong, and more. I take JB and his family for boat rides almost every balmy summer evening. The moments that we spend together, cruising along the sunset and messing around in the water are some of the most precious experiences I have
had. JB’s diagnosis has most significantly impacted me by getting me involved in the New England Disabled Sports program. Skiing had always been a part of our family and we weren’t going to let JB’s diagnosis get in the way of that. So we found New England Disabled Sports at Loon Mountain. The program assessed him and put him in a piece of equipment called a Mountain Man. It is a bi-ski (basically a chair on two skis with attached outriggers) that is tethered down by a coach. JB can still turn by leaning and reaching, which is what the duct tape is for. The coaches and people we met at NEDS were some of the most inspiring I’ve known. Because of them, my parents became coaches and once I was old enough, I did too. My role in this program is as an adaptive snowsports coach. I teach students with both physical and cognitive disabilities to stand-up ski, snowboard, mono-ski, bi-ski, and more. I committed roughly 300 hours to this program last season. This year I plan to test for my Professional Ski Instructors of America certification in mono- and bi-skiing, and I know that adaptive sports will continue to be a large part of my life in the future. I hold dear all my experiences coaching, but I most fondly cherish my time flying down the slopes with JB The moment that my cousin was diagnosed with DMD changed my outlook on everything. JB has showed me how to enjoy life in its entirety, from sunrise on the ski slopes to sunset over the crashing waves. I’ve learned to make as many memories as possible, to judge life by how much love and fun it is filled with, not by how many years it is composed of, and to never take a single breath for granted.
Last March, an undefeated basketball squad faced a tragic loss, and unfortunately it was not the game. An undefeated season was on the line for the Fennvile Blackhawks, and the whole town was in attendance. The game went into overtime and Wes Leonard was ready for it. Seconds left in overtime, the score was tied again. It was the last play of the game, and Wes Leonard drove to the basket for a lay up, putting them up by two. Time expired and fans rushed the court looking for the hero that made that game winning basket. Seconds later that hero collapsed to the ground. Wes Leonard, a 16 year old healthy boy, died minutes after his dream, a game winning shot, of a cardiac arrest. ( Moisse Sec. 1 Par. 1-3)
A hero is someone who doesn’t give up and keeps on fighting for their goal. Jackie Robinson is a great hero and came over great challenges, but he achieved his goal. How Jackie Robinson embodies the human spirt is that he broke the color barrier, and the challenges he faced, and his life.
A child of abuse and neglect, Chris McCandless awed the world with his inspiring trip across the nation to find himself in Alaska. Leaving his well off life and his problematic family behind to be true to his ideas of life. His life impacted the people who knew him well and the strangers that drove him to his haven. When the story of this young man hitch hiking across the country broke ground, it made many people question if this boy was just crazy or did he really have a true understanding on the day to day live we were living and where we were going wrong. Although some critics have conceived the idea that Chris McCandless was just a crazed mad man with schizophrenia and the unachievable idea of true happiness. Many believe he was a new
coldest winter to pass us by; many of my friends and I went out to hit
Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th president of the United States, is not one of the most well-known presidents to have ever served in office though he did do some good things during his presidency. The vice president’s journey to the presidency began after the assassination of the beloved president, John F. Kennedy. Before serving as president, he was the youngest Senator to ever serve as a majority leader and he sat in the House of Representatives. Although Johnson served two terms as president, he only ran in one election because of the death of Kennedy. However, the one election he ran in, he won in by a landslide (Ridings & Melver 231). Lyndon B Johnson, the Democratic president, who served from 1963-1969, might have been infamous for the decisions he made during the Vietnam War, but his Great Society and Civil Rights Act helped shape the nation in a good way.
There is so much that can be learned from the past. Especially from an event that was as catastrophic as this one. How does one person gain such a grip on so many people? How was he able to influence them to change their entire life’s to conform to what he wanted. Somehow he was able to get them to move to a completely new place and create a world all their (his) own. How does one person convince and force so many people that it was time for their life to end? How does he force them to kill themselves? So many questions that are still being answered to this day. There are plenty of movies and research done on this event but there is still a lot to learn.
John Jay was born in New York City on December 12, 1745 and was a self devoted leader that help the United States get to where it is today. He served a very important role in the Founding Fathers establishment as well as bringing overall greatness to the country. He devoted himself to the American Revolution as well as becoming the first Chief Justice of the United States. Serving in the Continental Congress, and becoming president of the congress gave him great power and confidence within himself.
A few winters ago, some friends invited my family and me to go snow skiing at Paoli Peaks, Indiana. I did not know how to snow ski, and I leaped at the thought of trying this new sport. On the first morning we entered the pro shop to rent all the gear and make decisions about whether or not to take lessons or go it alone. We decided to be adventurous and go it alone—no lessons. Kent and Celeste, the friends who invited us, knew how to ski and snowboard. He assured us that he could show us the basics, and we would be on our way down the slopes. All of us, after a few minutes learning how to wedge our skis started down the family trail. Although the family trail had smaller hills and appeared safe, to me it seemed way
During the civil rights movements, many people worked for integration which was those who believed in bringing black and white societies together or separatist who believed in being separate but equal. There were people who took sides of both views. Jackie Robinson was a big advocate of black rights standing as neither a separatist or an integration supporter, but one who took ideas from both sides that were true to his core values and beliefs. Jackie Robinson was born into a family that was not enslaved by southern plantation owners, however, he was born into a family that worked for next to nothing on a plantation. Once his father was able to work out a deal with his boss that would make him a “half-cropper” they began bringing in more
Lebron James had a rough start to her life but when she was adopted her life was turned upside down. This could very well be caused but the actions of her first family, regardless of her past she is now a happy adult cat.
I stepped out of the chilly November air and into the warmth of my home. The first snowfall of the year had hit early in the morning, and the soft, powdery snow provided entertainment for hours. As I laid my furry mittens and warm hat on the bench to dry, I was immediately greeted with the rich scent of sweet apple pie, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, and the twenty-pound turkey my mother was preparing for our Thanksgiving feast.
The year was 1992; a cold December arctic wind had brought a chance of snow to the area. It was the weekend and time to relax after a long hard week at work. The weather service had predicted several inches of snow to blanket the region by the next day. Not to worry: it was the weekend and traveling was not a necessity.
It was the beginning of the lacrosse season. All 48 of us were lined up in two straight lines dreading the moment when our our team captains began to yell at us to begin running. When we began the run around the patchy field, I noticed my friend struggling to keep up with everyone. I was further ahead of him and could hear him huffing and puffing. We all began to cheer Dan on in order to give him the motivation to increase his speed. Over time, his level of endurance improved, and was capable of keeping up with the team, reaching his dream of playing in varsity games. We lost every game that season, but we really didn’t care about it. We just wanted to have fun. As we approached the end of the season, we all said our goodbyes and hoped for
captive by a sheath of frost, as were the glacial branches that scraped at my windows, begging to get in. It is indeed the coldest year I can remember, with winds like barbs that caught and pulled at my skin. People ceaselessly searched for warmth, but my family found that this year, the warmth was searching for us.
During the reign of James I in England, William Shakespeare, a world-renowned dramatist, was writing plays and poems to secure his legacy forever. But, in the shadows, Ben Jonson, was emerging as a well-educated man of the English Renaissance, making his name as a literary critic, influencing great names along the way. Born in London, in 1572, Jonson was educated at the Westminster school where he learned about poetry and its verses. Soon enough, he became known as one of the most influential poets of the era, contributing greatly to the minds of fellow writers.