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Wisdom Beyond His Years
 "I want people to know my life philosophy, to remember to play after every storm." — Mattie Stepanek
A Remarkable Boy Born with a rare form of muscular dystrophy, 11 year old Mattie Stepanek is living through a difficult storm. His mom, Jeni, also has the disease, which she didn't discover until after she had four children. Mattie's three siblings all died from the disease—but remarkably, Mattie recovered from a near-fatal sickness this past year. Though he still struggles with his illness, he is achieving great feats: earning a junior black belt in martial arts, homeschooling at the 11th grade level, and having his poetry published. Three Wishes Mattie has always had three wishes: to have his poems published, to meet his hero Jimmy Carter and to share his message of peace on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Now all three of his wishes have been granted. When Oprah asked Mattie why he chose those three things, he explained, "Because they were things that would last forever. Going to Disney World ends in a week. But being able to talk with Jimmy Carter, being able to have my books published, being able to talk to you here today, lasts forever." What is a Heartsong? Mattie has been writing poetry since he was three years old. "I write to express my thoughts and feelings," he explains. You hear the word "heartsongs" a lot in his work. "Your heartsong is your inner beauty," says Mattie. "It's the song in your heart that wants you to help make yourself a better person, and to help other people do the same. Everybody has one."
Mattie Stepanek's Books
A Gift from Oprah Oprah gave Mattie special rocks with the words "Mattie," "Oprah," "Heartsong," "Wish" and "Peace" carved on them to add to his collection of rocks from around the world. To purchase Magic Stones, visit www.magicstones.com. A Prayer for Mattie "I am asking everyone who believes in the power of pray to join together in prayer for Mattie" — Oprah Join our Prayer Circle From the show How Does That Feel? |
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