In Memory of Ben

I believe that angels come to us in many forms.  Ben Breedlove was an angel. Ben Breedlove is a Texas teen who passed away on Christmas Day as a result of his life long battle with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a deteriorating condition that causes a thickening of the heart muscle, leading to cardiac arrest. Days before he passed away, he posted a video on YouTube chronicling his battle with heart disease.  Using something as simple, yet powerful as handwritten note cards, he told the story of a young man who had cheated death since he was four.

After watching his video I was left in tears, saddened by the fact that a dynamic young man was taken from this world at such a young age.  But, I was also left with a sense of peace.  I was happy that Ben had gone on to a better place.  His courage and wisdom had a lasting impact on me and the millions of others whom have viewed his videos.  He taught me a valuable lesson:  Use your time wisely.  It’s not so important how long you live.  What really matters is how you live.  By virtue of our being on this Earth, we have immeasurable potential to have a positive impact on the lives of those around us.  Each day represents a new opportunity to fulfill our potential.  Put another way, each day represents a new opportunity for us to turn our potential energy into kinetic energy.  By overcoming our personal inertia (self doubt, low self-esteem, worrying), we can truly begin to Go For It.  One can only imagine the impact that would have on the world.

To watch the video click the following links:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmlTHfVaU9o   and  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4LSEXsvRAI&feature=related.

To find out more about hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, please visit the American Heart Association’s HCM fact page at  http://newsroom.heart.org/pr/aha/most-americans-with-hcm-live-normal-218445.aspx



Best,

Ciji Dodds

Miss International 2011