Who Is Your Hero?

Do you have a personal hero? Tell us about them. It doesn’t have to be perfect to make a difference in someone else’s life.

Your Everyday Hero: Gudelia D.

She immigrated to this country in 1957 with her husband. Her husband ignored his health and worked himself to death to get ahead. He died in 1963 leaving her with 3 children at the age of 31. She worked in a garment factory for 30 years never making more than minimum wage. She never asked for or received any welfare, food stamps, or any other type of government assistance. Neighbors would ask to borrow $5.00 from her (when she was making $1.50/hour) and she would lend it and never ask for it to be repaid. When her oldest son asked her why she lent money to people who were a lot better off than her she would say, "I'd rather be able to lend them $5.00 than to have to ask them to lend me $5.00." Despite growing up in poverty her children obtained graduate degrees from major U.S. universities. Her oldest son graduated from a top ten Ivy League law school. She died relatively young in 2001. She was my mother. There was no justice in her life. The moral: Self sacrifice, honesty, hard work, and all the other virtues she had were and are their own reward. There is no payoff for them.

Submitted by Enrique DelaPaz