I met Matt when he was 10-years-old. I was volunteering at an adolescent shelter while in college, and it was my first of many experiences in a youth residential facility. After receiving the proper training, I was instructed to read the files of the children and teenagers living at the shelter. Hundreds of files later, Matt’s story was still one of the most horrific and sickening experiences of abuse I had ever seen, and it still is to this date. Not only was it a miracle this child was alive, but you never would have guessed that Matt had known such violence in his short life.

Want to meet some of the most incredible and inspiring people around? Seek out a child who is living with a heart condition. I know there are few people I have met with that much resilience and strength…

Last year I attended the Boston Bruins Go Red for Women night as Miss Massachusetts, and what a night it was… I educated people about heart disease being the number one killer of women, I sat in the special seats between the two hockey teams’ benches during the third period (man, did it smell!), and I was able to achieve one of my most secret and desired aspirations…yup, you guessed it - riding a Zamboni. With the wind and ice chips blowing in my face, I felt like a true superstar.

Have you ever done something just because you felt it was the right thing to do…and then this seemingly inconsequential action becomes something much greater than you anticipated? In first grade I met Nicole Safford. Even at 5 years old, we begin to discover stereotypes: the popular know-it-all, (Jennifer Catalano), the tough bad boy, (Brian Beckford), and the one who gets picked on. Nicole was the one who got picked on.

I know it’s hard. That ice cream sundae looks like a creamy boat of deliciousness. And, man, that pizza seems like it could be the best thing in your life since Velcro. To top it off, your gym card has been lost in the war zone of your pocketbook, and that has been holding up as a worthy excuse to miss your morning work-outs…and let’s not even talk about your stress at work. Here’s the deal, though. No one truly feels all warm and fuzzy, deep down inside, about making unhealthy decisions for herself.

We all have our definition of heroes. To some, it’s those superhuman fictional beings with outrageous strength and fantastic skills. I’ll be honest…I certainly felt like a hero when I was four and used to wear my Wonder Woman underwear. It was my tip-top secret that on those days I could tear off my pants and save the world if requested …luckily Spindle City pre-school was never attacked by nuclear missiles or assaulted by an evil villain.