Many people have heroes who are well known, good atsports or rank high in politics. Some are friends or relativeswho have impacted our lives. Heroes come in all shapes andsizes and are found anywhere, in any profession. They might beneurosurgeons or homeless guys in the localpark.

Everyone's idea of a hero is different. Those Icall heroes aren't widely recognized. They are average peopledoing their jobs. Nurses don't look for glory, but in my mind,they are heroes and the greatest inspiration in my life.

When I was in first grade, my dad was involved in anexplosion. He and his co-worker were severely burned. Thedoctors said that if he hadn't covered his face with his handswhen the explosion occurred, he would have been more severelyscarred and even lost his sight.

Because of my youth,my dad's accident was very hard to understand. I rememberwalking into the hospital the first time. Dad was lying on abed bandaged up and the room was filled with all types ofbeeping machines. The only parts visible were his head and thetips of his fingers. I remember asking my mom who that manwas; I thought she was joking when she told me it was Dad.When I realized she wasn't, reality hit me, hard.

Therewere always nurses in the room checking on Dad. Those nursesunknowingly became my heroes. Not only did they help my dadheal physically, but they helped Mom and me heal emotionally.I don't remember their names, but their deeds and compassionwill remain with me.

I didn't understand what hadhappened to my dad, but I was greatly saddened by it. It wasas if he was a completely different person. The nursesexplained he was still my dad and that he loved me just thesame as before his accident.

One day, when I waswalking down the hall, I noticed a room filled with puppets.One looked strange and I asked a nurse what had happened toit. She explained that the puppet had gone through the samething my dad had. The puppet had burned itself on a heater.Later that year, the nurses came to my school and talked to myclass about burns. They used those puppets to explain theseriousness of burns.

The burn unit nurses impacted mylife greatly, even to this day. Their compassion andunderstanding have influenced me to be involved in the medicalfield. I will always remember what they did for me; I havemade it my goal to help people, the way they helped me. Theydidn't do anything great or spectacular. They did, however,help a seven-year-old girl cope with and understand thetragedy that happened to her dad. For that, I will be forevergrateful to those nameless nurses.