A True Sports Hero

I recall having to write some sort of essay way back in elementary school. The teacher asked us to write about our hero; who they were, why we chose this person, what qualities about them we admired? Most of my male classmates wrote about Joe Namath, or Hank Aaron, or some other popular sports figure of that era. In case you're wondering, the girls for the most part chose Donny Osmond. I know, I know. Many of you are now cutting and pasting those names into your Google bar. I guess I'm that old.

I chose to write about my father. I think even at that young age I understood the difference between "hero" and "idol." Of course it didn't hurt that I'd hit a grand slam in the eyes of my dad (Redneck Mommy, you might need to look that term up being Canadian and all). I also understood how to get an extra scoop of ice cream after dinner.

There have been many idols throughout my life. These are folks that could swing a bat, throw an amazing spiral, hit a 22-foot jump shot (nothing but net), or actually sing on key. But I can count the heros in my life only on one hand: my mom, my dad, my grandfather, and Ben.

Well this morning I ran across an amazing story about a young man who nearly lost his life playing basketball. He lost his ability to walk and yet never gave up hope to go far beyond what others probably predicted for his future. I have seen that sort of determination in Ben and I hope he holds on to that drive to advance his life beyond what others have predicted for him.

So we now have a new hero. His name is Khaliq Gant. I hope you enjoy reading about him as much as I did!