Keith L Ollphant Jr

If you asked someone to define the word “hero,” the definition might sound like a description of Spiderman or Batman. To me, a hero is someone who changes people’s lives forever. My hero is my aunt, Gladys Debro. She is a miracle personified.
It all started when I was seven years old; my father went away for a long period of time and it was just my mother, two brothers, and me. A single mother who earned very close to minimum wage struggled to raise three kids on her own. Despite my mother’s plight, she had goals for each of us. She wanted us to be successful; to be able provide us with the opportunity to pursue our dreams.
My aunt, our angel, came into the picture, seeing that my mother needed help raising three boys. My aunt’s job as a caretaker required her to live with elderly people who required support with independent living. My aunt started to help my mom pay the bills contingent that my mom made sure “her boys” had everything that they needed to be happy and successful. My aunt went above and beyond by giving me two hundred dollars for allowance, every week. I used that money to buy the things I wanted. After a while my aunt was not just an aunt, she had become my second mother. She ensured that I had the opportunity to have meaningful experiences which my mother could not afford. One instance, that meant the world to me, was the time she paid for me to attend my lacrosse showcase. Without her generosity, I would not have that memory.
About a year ago my aunt’s patient passed away and she decided to move into my house. Now that my aunt didn’t work, she did more for me than I could have ever asked of her; she cleaned my room, made my bed, cooked, and always made sure that everything in my house was in order. She was selfless, never putting herself before my brothers, my mother, and myself. This was her true character. My life came to a screeching halt when my aunt became sick. Six months after moving into my house, she was diagnosed with cancer.
Everything in my world at the time changed. Only a month after she found out the horrible news, hospice was set up in my house and it felt as though the nurses never left. Cancer began to affect my aunt and everyone who her inspiration touched. Soon she became so weak that she couldn’t walk. Our roles reversed, we became our angel’s caretaker. She had done more for me than I would ever be able to pay back. Every day, I came home from football practice and checked on the person who helped build my character, the only person who I can truly say made me who I am today.

I knew the day was approaching when my hero was going to no longer be in my life. The only comfort that could help ease my pain, was realizing that she’d always be in my heart. My aunt is my hero because she selflessly sacrificed her wants, to help save my family. She is the reason why I strive to be successful; I will always strive to make her proud. I want to show her that everything she has motivated me to make it to the top.