hero

Meet Jeremy ~ AKA Jer.

Jer is sixteen. He's incredibly smart, has received countless academic awards, he loves his vids, his iPad, movies and UFC.  He's a guys guy. He's super funny. He can pull a quick joke or a sarcastic line out of his hat in an instant. He says things you would never think of.  Jeremy truly is the BEST.

And, he's our HERO. Actually, let me expand...... He's our Super Hero.... 

Jeremy is my nephew.  He's 16.  He lives with a genetic illness known as SMA - Spinal Muscular Atrophy. He is confined to his wheelchair. He has limited hand/arm mobility.

I asked 'my boys' individually to describe Jer in one word.  The first word both Brett and Bryce came up with.... instantly...was RESILIENT.  And that is just so true.  (Definition: able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions)

That's our Jer..... and here's a few more words that came to us:

• brave
• inspirational
• smart (bordering on genuis)
• cool...as in Cool Cat....smooth...all that
• determined
• amazing

As I prepared this post I hopped over to the SMA Canada site. My brother founded the organization in 2000 after Jer was diagnosed. It occurred to me.... there is more than one Hero in this story. Jeremy's parents are the truest of true heroes and they have raised a  Super Hero.

We would love to meet your hero. Please share with us. Let's celebrate heroes today. 

Here's to you Jer... and to all our Super Heroes ... love and gratitude....

p.s. If you have not heard of SMA, I encourage you to follow this link to learn more. And if you have just a few moments, check out this incredibly touching video.  

Comments

[Chantal]

We all have our own heroes in life. Mine is my husband... for obvious and less obvious reason, but mainly for putting up with a handicapped wife like me... and in between recovering from a stroke himself... MY HERO!!

[Kat]

Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful story and introducing us to Jer!

[Puna]

What a touching tribute to your nephew. He's truly an inspiration to his aunt, it's evident!

[Dorean Beattie]

One of my heroes is my friend Renee. Two years ago her husband was tragically killed two days before Christmas. At that time they had 3 biological kids (1 who died at the age of 2 1/2 from Spina Bifida) and 8 adopted kids. Since her husband's death she has taken in 2 more kids, 1 adopted and 1 she is fostering for an undetermined amount of time while she gets medical treatment not available to her in her home country. (Don't worry; she has help!) She has also continued with the work of the foundation she and her husband established right before his death, The Orphan Justice Center, which advocates for the plight of children needing families around the world. Through it all, Renee has carried herself with grace and beauty. When I grow up, I want to be like her. :-)

[Sue Stokke]

What a touching post, and {sniff, sniff} video link. THANK YOU to the Jeremy's {and family members of the Jeremy's} of this world who teach us how to turn the hard things in life into something that blesses, inspires, and encourages others. In so many ways they have taken what most would consider an enormous challenge and turned it into a gift they share with the world. Thank you for sharing this Kim!

[Katrina Kennedy]

Your description of Jeremy and his family gave me chills. What a resilient family and what dedication to extending the help and kindness to other families.

[Kyle Kunnecke]

what a loving photo of a super hero! - He's lucky to have an Aunt like you!

[Beverly]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bal93/5536987577/ here is my Hero. He is not only mine but a hero to my family as well. He has changed our life for the better and such a blessing to us all. I love him to the moon! Thanks for sharing your story of your wonderful hero Kim xoxo

[Kath]

We are surrounded by SuperHeros ... the young ones being the most super ...

My Hero is my sister, of course, her beloved husband passed and left her with their four wonderful kids, she resiliently built them up and built her own life again. Then she had a few strokes. And she resiliently built herself back up. One of our family charities is the Heart and Stroke Foundation ...

http://www.soeursdujour.com/2009/06/the-heart-love-thursday.html

[prairiegirl]

oh, here come the tears again ...
i remember when you first heard of jeremy's diagnosis ...
it was such a time of unknowns ...
but perseverance and a stamina that we can never really know has brought
light and understanding to this remarkable young man's very existence ..
jeremy has never ever hesitated in being true and real to himself no matter what ...
and that is something that everyone loves about him!
we can't ever know what it is truly like to be in his shoes ~ his chair ...
but i do know that the love and determination
and openness of your family makes every step of his life
that much more joyful and rich ...

wishing that kind of love and full life for all heroes and their families today ...
it is wonderful that you shared jeremy's story here today, kim ...
xoxo
prairiegirl

[Sharon]

I too have a hero...my son Erich. My life changed on Oct 16 2005 when my hero died. He had Duchenne Muscular dystrophy. All these young men are heroes.

[Elaine]

What a lovely story! And such an important tribute. Thank you for compelling me (in such a beautiful, touching, real way) to pause for a moment and hold gratitude and admiration in my heart.

Today I have two heroes:

#1) family and friends who look after loved ones with special needs;
#2) a friend in Japan who is showing courage, strength and grace.

[anna]

Kim, thank you for sharing Jer's inspiring story! Such a brave young man with supportive parents and family. I only have everyday heros - my family - they make my life rich and happy.

[Denise]

hiya kim, I so love how you captured Jeremy's personality...that mischievous glint in his eye. I don't know anything about SMA but I will check it out asap. what an inspiring post! :) xxo

[Jill]

Oh Kim. Thank you for sharing this story. The word Grace comes to me....

[Julie]

One of the greats, my nephew, Jameson: http://www.seattlepi.com/paynter/280986_paynt14.html

[Karen]

My hero is my daughter, Claire. Doctors told us she would never walk or talk. We decided to take our baby home and prove them all wrong. The road has been hard. She is strong, willful, funny, happy, and determined to be like everyone else. She took her first steps at age 4 with the aid of a reverse walker. By age 7 she no longer needed the wheelchair. She points to pictures to communicate, because speech as we know it never came. But she can say MOM, DAD, and her sibling's names and versions of other words. As she entered her early teens she developed keratoconus, which would eventually leave her blind unless she received cornea transplants. She did have 2 transplants in the same eye, but both failed and she is blind in that eye. Her vision is severely compromised in her other eye, which saddens us beyond belief because she needs her vision to communicate. Many days have been struggles. Many days she has given us so much joy and an appreciation for life. She is now 24 years old and lives in a 2nd home that we purchased and she has a care staff 24/7 - amazing, wonderful women. As our other children grew and ventured out, away from home, we though we could offer Claire no less. She deserved to spread her wings and have some independence too. She has friends at her day program. She loves music and has certain TV shows that she enjoys. She likes art. Mostly she just likes being around people. She is exceptionally kind and caring. And, at 24 she still sleeps with a baby doll and is like a big "little girl". We love her. We would not change the path she led us down for anything in the world.

Thank you for celebrating heros.

[Gale Wall]

I don't think I can top that...but I will share my hero. I have one child...a son. When he enlisted to serve his country he made us proud. When he enlisted during 2 wars he became our hero. I have learned to view the world and others through a new set of eyes and heart because of him.

In about 6 weeks he will return from a one year deployment to Afghanistan. This has been a journey I could have never dreamed of taking. And one I will be happy to see come to an end.

Stop by and see how we've kept him connected to home: dearclayton.blogspot.com

[Lorraine Lewis]

What a sweet tribute to your nephew Kim. I love the inspiration shared today.
I was thinking today about heros- the valiant men in Japan who are working in the nuclear facility to get it stabilized, endangering their very lives.
God bless our hero's.

[Emma]

Thank you for the introduction to this inspirational young man.

[TrishaC]

So many awesome and touching stories of a world surrounded and blessed by so many super heroes. Each and every one unique and a blessing in their own way. And the super super thing....these super heroes....create more super heroes in those around them. Thank all of you for sharing your stories.

[danette mulder]

go jer go!! i like you already and i have never met you! thanks to you and your story i am on my knees saying thanks to a wonderful life and countless blessings. thank you for being you and teaching us valuable lessons just by smiling into the camera! love danette , south africa

[terryllqw]

Thank you Kim for sharing Jeremy, your nephew. I want to learn more and will be checking out the links.

My hero is my husband. He lives with a spinal cord injury. He is very positive, a true inspiration to many. Here is his blog that he just recently started, in Jan 2012
http://stilloutdoors.blogspot.com/