Jonathan Jironvil, Neighbor

As I held her head and cleaned her face, she took her last breath.

One morning in early July 2009, my pregnant mother was cooking when everything suddenly changed. She started to tremble and could no longer hold the pot. She had suffered from a stroke. The doctor decided to deliver the baby immediately because her life was in danger. Although my sister was born healthy, my mother never recovered.

A few months later, I was home helping my father take care of my mother. As I held my mother and washed her face, she tried to tell me something. I leaned in close to hear her dry whispers, as she took her last breath. At that moment, life also seemed to have ended for me, but I was still breathing. My mother raised me and she was the only person I turned to for anything and everything I needed. The tragedy took place a year after we moved from Haiti to Belize. Belize was still a foreign place and now without my mother I felt even more lost and out of place.

My mother’s death shaped my identity and made me a whole new person because I not only witnessed her death, but she literally died in my arms. At the tender age twelve, I was forced into adulthood, forced to see the world in a different way. I started thinking and acting more like an adult. Shortly after my mother’s death, my father started suffering from mental illness. His depression prompted me to take on additional responsibilities in the family. The death of his beloved wife left him in total devastation. As tragic as my mother’s death was, I learned much from it. My mother’s untimely departure made me realize some important things about myself and my sisters, who now depended on me. Soon, it became clear to me that I needed to make something of myself in order to take care of my sisters and provide for them. This led to an increase in my appreciation for the academic world, which was already providing me with much needed comfort. The world of academics gives me a purpose in life, one that I believe my mother would be very proud of.

Following my mother’s departure I had to develop the leadership skills that helped me to essentially raise my siblings. Recently, my leadership skills have not only served my sisters but also served my school and community. Being a peer tutor allowed me to influence the life of other students in my school. In my church, I have been able to successfully lead a literacy class room full of children once a month. Being a positive role model is important to me. I teach the children about the Bible and the importance of the Bible. Most importantly, the experience gave me the strength and confidence that I will need through difficult times. I have had a very long and hard journey but this journey has taught me many lessons and made me stronger than I ever thought I could possibly imagine. There is nothing in this world that I cannot conquer.