The Strongest Heart

    My Father has always been the person who I admire and look up to.  He has been my hero for many years and proven by his actions that he deserves that title.  This year my Father is still my hero but the person who has had the most influence on me has been my sixth grade teacher.  She has gone through so much this year and has every reason to be negative or sad or make everyone feel sorry for her.  But she does not.
    My sixth grade teacher.  She is one of those teachers that I always want to go back and visit.  She has the biggest heart her class room was the most comfortable classroom in the school.  She was someone who would, and still will, listen to any problems and do her best to help you through any problems.   It would always make a day better when I walked into her classroom and she was there with a big smile at the beginning of the day.  On top of that she made learning fun.   She was hit with a tragedy over the summer, quite literally.
    She was hit by a car while running during the summer.  This teenage girl decided not to make a complete stop at a cross walk and hit She.  The girl did not even stop to see what she hit she just kept going someone else had to follow her to Einstein’s in order to get her to understand what she had just done.  Thankfully She was not extremely hurt physically.  Mentally however was another thing.
    She was fragile, not always showing it, but she didn’t like driving up the canyons or in the area where the accident happened.  As the days went by she was able to grow stronger mentally and the bruises went away.  Though out everything she never showed a negative attitude.  At times you could see she was scared but never negative.  
    Test after test was run on her to make sure there was not internal bleeding, broken bones, or any major problems physically because of the accident.  Thankfully the accident didn’t cause any major issues on her health.  However something was found, not because of the accident, a birth defect.  She, the teacher with the biggest smile, most positive attitude, and the biggest heart had a hole in her heart.  
    This was unbelievable to me she was always such a strong person and so warm and friendly to everyone it was hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that she has had a hole in her heart since birth.  The doctors could not believe it as well.  In reality she should have had a stoke and died in her twenties because of the hole.  They were shocked she had survived this long with no consequences of the defect especially with how much pressure she has put on her heart.  She has been a runner all her life competing in marathons even.  She has always been know for staying in shape and working out constantly.  All of the pressure that running puts on a persons heart would in reality kill someone with a hole in their heart before that person were to reach thirty.
    The doctors acted fast and the surgery happened early December.  Before the surgery took place She did shed some tears and showed some fear for the surgery that was going to take place.  Former, present, and future students showed their love and support through cards, letters, and hugs because she was the favorite teacher of many and loved by just about every student that stepped into the sixth grade class.
    When the surgery happened they went up through the femoral artery and covered the hole.  The doctor was further amazed by her survival when she found not one hole but three and one of the holes was one of the biggest he had ever seen.  She was a medical miracle in some doctors eyes for her survival.  She is still recovering from the surgery to this day.  She went back to school and teaching as soon as possible but she is still a little shaky at times.  Sleeping is another thing that can be hard for her because her heart beats differently now so it can be hard to bear in the silence.
    When I saw her before I could even get a word out she was asking me how I was doing and how school was going.  Not one word about what she was going through and when I was finally able to ask her how she was doing all I got was a just fine.  She still has a long way to go to recover and even possibly more surgery's but her strength and her kindness will never be forgotten.
    She has inspired me over the years with her positive attitude and her love for teaching along with staying in shape.  Recently that has not changed but she has also shown me what great strength and integrity are.  She is influenced me in so many ways over the years, this past year more than ever and I look forward to many more years of her advice, smile, and heart.