“We don’t know how strong we are until being strong is the only choice we have.”
-ALS Awareness-

Heroes climb mountains and fly to space. Heroes are superstars who are always in the spotlight. My hero isn’t like any those. My hero is a humble soul. One who will always have a place in my heart. My hero is my Uncle Wayne. He surely didn’t fly to space, climb a mountain, or sing in the spotlight. He was humble and hilarious. He was sweet and sensitive. Most of all, he was strong and heroic, but he didn’t look like any old Superman with a cape. He was an ordinary person who had an extraordinary soul.

“The difference between being ordinary and extraordinary is just that little extra.”
- Zig Ziglar-

My uncle and I were really close. He was so hilarious that I would roll around on the ground with laughter every time he spoke. He would tell me stories that always ended with a funny moral. We would watch old Disney movies together and cry at the cheesiest parts. That’s why the day my uncle told me he had ALS struck me hard.

I remember the day like it was only yesterday. My uncle was coming over to our house. He had told my mom over the phone that he had some “news” to share with everyone. Being only nine, I didn’t know what to expect. What did “news” mean? Was it good or bad? Mom had invited over Grandma and Grandpa and all of my cousins, so I knew the “news” had to be something important....something big. I thought maybe my uncle was moving or got a new job. I would have never guessed in a million years what my uncle was planning to share.

Our family is really close, so it wasn’t unusual to have the whole “gang” over. My family came over regularly for birthdays and holidays, but this time was different. Everyone came around noon. We ate some dinner, and everything seemed normal. The meal looked normal. The family looked normal. Most especially, my uncle looked normal. We laughed and exchanged stories just like old times.

For an hour after dinner, we played outside. When it became too humid, we played “Go Fish”. After all the goofing around, my uncle asked to speak with everyone, so Mom organized all of our family into the living room. My Uncle Wayne cleared his throat and began to speak. After taking a gulp of air, he began to speak quietly, his voice shaking. “I don’t want to stretch this out any more than I have to. I was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Some of you may know what this disease is and others of you may not,” he paused, looking around to see all of our faces “ALS affects your muscles and how they work. This means that soon I will no longer be able to do the things that are so regular to me like working, eating, walking, and driving. The doctor said that there is no cure, which means that eventually I will...” his voice faded away, before he could say the one word that everyone dreaded: “die”. He looked down with his eyes shut as if he was embarrassed. I looked around the room now, too. First, I glanced at my mom who was weeping softly, then, to my grandpa who had a single tear rolling down his cheek, and finally to my brother who wrapped himself around Uncle Wayne in a massive hug. Everyone cried their eyes out for what seemed like hours.

My uncle tried to stop all the tears, but they wouldn’t let up. Tears, round and clear, rolled rapidly down the whole family’s cheeks ,and no one could stop them. My uncle tried to console everyone, but even his gentle words couldn’t stop us from being sad.

He came over to where I was seated on the floor and wiped away the tears falling down my cheeks with his sleeve. “It will be all right. I will always be with you even when I am gone.” He whispered into my ear, his voice soft and tender. “I will always love you.” He patted my back and kissed my cheek. I tried hard not to be sad, but instead, enjoy my uncle’s company.

For the whole rest of the day, and well into the night, the whole family tried to hold back the tears and put on smiles. We had a lot of fun that night. We played charades: my uncle’s favorite game. We drank lemonade: my uncle’s favorite thirst quencher. We watched Mary Poppins: my uncle’s favorite movie. My whole family will always remember that day for as long as we all shall live.

My uncle was right. He soon began losing control of his hands and legs, until he gradually became paralyzed. He died a few months later. That was the last time I ever saw my Uncle Wayne before he lost his battle and his life to ALS.

ALS is a terrible disease that kills thousands. Once a year the Wankowski family raises money and walks for my uncle and the 30,000 people in America who have the disease. Every night I pray for my uncle. Sometimes if I close my eyes real tight, he talks to me, and I talk back. My heart will always hold all of my Uncle’s jokes, his huge smile, and his tender words.