A hero is a person, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. To me, a hero is someone who is selfless in their life, giving to others before themselves. Risking their own life for others. Someone who is loving and compassionate. My hero is my grandma. My grandma suffered a massive stroke at the age of 57, leaving her permanently paralyzed on her left side. However, she did not let this obstacle get in the way of her living her life and she still managed to be a fun, loving grandma who always had a smile on her face.

I always looked forward to seeing my grandma because she was fun to be around and always made me laugh. We shared many laughs together and created many great memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life. My favorite memory of my grandma is her visits to my house and the Yahtzee tournaments we would have. My mom’s whole side of the family would come over and we would play Yahtzee. We were all very competitive and it would be a great day of family food and fun. At the end of the day, my grandma and I would talk about how much fun we had and we wrote down all the memories that we created that day in a journal so we would remember them forever. It was always hard saying goodbye to her after a great day but I knew that she would come back to visit again very soon.

My grandma lived in a nursing home for fifteen years, however, she did not let that hold her back from accomplishing her goals. She took classes and graduated annually from the courses that she took. I loved going to her graduations and seeing her graduate because it reminded me of how proud I was of her for her hard work and how much of an inspiration she is to me. Also, she pushed herself hard in physical therapy in hopes that she would walk again someday and was so determined to prove this true. Through her determination and positivity, she showed me that even though life can have many obstacles, don't let them get in my way and never give up.

On June 26, 2014, I lost my beloved grandma. She was and still is such an inspiration to me because she never gave up on life and continued to be positive even throughout the tough times. She taught me how to find a positive in a difficult situation and that life is what I make of it. She was my role model, I looked up to her and wanted to be just like her when I grew up. She was extremely hard working and accomplished everything she put her mind to, which were qualities I wanted to possess. My grandma always knew how to have fun and how to make me laugh no matter the circumstance. Her death was the biggest loss of my life and it showed me not to take anything for granted because I would do anything to be able to see her one more time. Although she is now gone, she is forever in my heart and will remain there always.