Has anyone ever asked you to name your hero? Like your favorite color or grade in school, did you respond automatically with a sports figure, government leader or movie star? Is it their sporty physique, ability to speak in public or the way they style their hair that you admire? Do you really know what kind of person they are? My hero isn’t someone famous or even older than I am. It's my little brother, Matt.

Matt has the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever known. He will give up his seat near the window or trade popsicle colors, just to make you happy. He works hard to scrape together a few dollars so he can get each of his family members something from the Dollar Tree. Once a boy at school landed his new football on the roof. Matt asked my mom to take him to Wal-Mart right after school to buy a new football using his own money. Matt is the kind of person we all would like to be.

A year ago, I never would have expected to be writing this essay about my brother. Last summer, Matt was diagnosed with Acute Disseminating Encephalomyelitis, or ADEM, an inflammation of the brain. The cause and cure are both unknown. Matt was in the hospital for over 80 days, enduring pokes, tests, and operations. When I visited, I never could believe that was my brother. Sure, he still looked the same, but it was an empty body. Matt just didn’t belong there! He had always been the one I could count on to help me work on my long kick, trapping, and shooting for soccer. In 30 degree weather with shorts and a T-shirt, all we needed was a sports ball of any kind to have the perfect day. As Matt’s illness progressed, he slipped into a deep sleep and all we could do was wait. I’m still waiting now, but it’s easier because he is home with us. Matt eats from a tube, lies in bed and basically does nothing! He doesn’t even talk, but he’s my hero and it’s because of his illness that I finally realized it!

Even from his bed, Matt continues to touch many lives. He has been in newspapers, on the radio, and mentioned on T.V. His courage to keep on fighting this whole time has encouraged thousands of people who have learned of his story. I don’t know what will happen in the end or even in the next day, but I do know my brother is my hero and he will be no matter what happens.

Now when someone asks you who your hero is, what will you say? Will you choose someone famous who has it all or that one person you really care for and respect? Think carefully, any day could be your last with that person. Matt will always be my little brother, but he has a big mission. To think I thought he’d look up to me!

by Alex Keyser