What is a hero? Is it someone who saves the world from villains, like Batman or Spiderman? Or is it someone who goes to third world countries and helps the people living there, like Angelina Jolie? Is a hero a doctor who saves the lives of people who are just minutes away from dying? Or is it someone who inspires you to become the best person you can be? Someone who loves you no matter what you do? Someone who is always there for you when you need help? “A hero is a person with integrity who does something remarkable,” said Carol Oberbroeckling. This is my hero. She is a nurse, a Catholic, my support, and she is my mom.

Carol Beth Nelson was born on January 21, 1964 in a small town in Iowa to parents Ben and Evelyn Nelson. She has two older brothers Lowell and Jim. Her dad was a pastor at a small Lutheran Church and her mom stayed home with her and her older brothers. She grew up, went to school, then she left home to go to a small college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. During her freshman year she met Dan Oberbroeckling and they would eventually get married and have to daughters, Amanda Oberbroeckling and me.

My mom also had one other child, a son named Adam. He was born on March 3, 1998. He was not the same as my sister and I and the other babies in the hospital. He had some problems with him; nonetheless our family loved him just the same. Though Adam we all loved Adam sometimes he was hard to take care of. My mom did so much while raising him. This is one of the reasons she is my hero. She had to make many sacrifices for Adam and our family. My mom did all she could, but in 2000 my brother Adam passed away because of respiratory problems. He was only two years old.. I was six when he died, and I could not believe it. This was a very sad part in my whole family’s lives, but we all got through it together. My mom helped my family the most. She was and still is a great role model for me.

After my brother had passed away my mom was inspired by him to become a nurse so that she might be able to help other children. “We spent a lot of time in the hospital with Adam and I admired how the nurses took care of him and our family. After we lost Adam I wanted to find a way to give back to all of the help we received, and even though I was scared to go back to school, I really enjoyed the classes I was taking. I thought it would be a good career to do and to spend time with my family,” said Oberbroeckling. When I started first she started her first year of school to become a nurse. She worked really hard for four years, and in the end it paid off. She was the valedictorian of her class. She then started at Clarion North Hospital in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. That is where the kids who are really sick go to try and get better. “My favorite part about being a nurse is helping people get better.” At first she worked the night shift, so that she could come home and sleep then she could be with my family and me. After a year of the night shift she decided it was too hard on her body, and I agreed. She then switched to the day shift. She has worked so hard and it inspires me to do better.

No family is easy to take care of, but my mom takes care of my dad, my sister, and me, and she has two nursing jobs. She works everyday, comes home, helps my sister and me, then she cooks dinner. She does so much everyday. She is my hero because she is always there when I need her even when she is tired or upset. Sometimes she does get mad at me, but that is my fault. I still know that she will be here for me tomorrow if she is mad at me then.

I play a lot of volleyball year around, and my mom comes to almost all of my games. I play for the school and a club team. There are some games when I do not play the best that I can. I get really really frustrated when that happens. My mom always talks to me and cools me down and helps to get me refocused for the next game. I love having my mom at my games. I know when I mess up I can look at her and she will try and encourage me from the stands. My mom is like my own little fan club. Most of the times her cheering does make me feel better and helps me to get my head back into the fame and to not dwell on the last points that I had not done too good on.

My mom is a different kind of hero. She is not like batman, and she is not like Odysseus. They do have similar qualities though. Both Odysseus and my mom have big hearts that are full of love for their families. My mom and Odysseus are also alike because they both are very loyal Odysseus goes for twenty years without seeing Penelope and he stays loyal to her and Telemachus.

My mom is my hero. She may not be able to save me from the joker, but she helps me and loves me. My mom is always there for me when I need her. I know that she would do anything to help me, and I would do anything to help my mom.