What defines a hero? At first thought, an image of a person in a brightly colored costume comes to mind, but what about realy life heroes? The men and women that every day do their best in society. Often overlooked by the rest, they may be a teacher in your school, or a man walking down the street. In reality, a hero is just an ordinary person who makes themself extraordinary. For me, my biggest hero is my mom. She's the strongest person I know of, even putting the famed Wonder Woman to shame.
In the sixteen years that I've been alive, she's raised three kids as a single parent, completed nursing school, and raised a child with special needs.
My youngest sister was diagnosed with Autism when she was two years old. Although she's progressed significantly since that day, things are still hard. Speech therapy bills, doctor visits, you name it. My mom found a way to be able to get her through all of these.
Upon entering college, my mom met and fell in love with my now stepfather. They were married in 2006, and then he had to move out of the state. Being married to a man in the US Army can't be an easy task, but she manages to make it all work out. We all live quite a distance away from my stepdad; he lives in Kansas and we live in North Dakota. After he moved, my mom continued to go through school. When he goes overseas, the tension gets to everyone. It's not easy to not know how he's doing over there, but my mom still manages to wear a smile for everyone.
Throughout this whole journey, she's managed to raise three teenage girls, and graduate at the top of her class. She's also been there for me through the rough patches of growing up, and always has time to listen.
I don't know anyone who could live with having someone they love being in a dangerous place like Iraq, work through school, and raise three, horomonal teenagers. My mom is truly an inspiration to me, and my role model in every way.