There are a lot of people who have never been given a chance to get to know their grandparents. I am lucky enough to be able to say that I have an extremely close relationship with the grandparents on my mom’s side. I am even luckier to say that my grandfather, who we all call Poppy, has been in my life not only as a grandfather but also as a father, a role model and a hero.

When my father died when I was just three years old, my grandfather stepped up. I was little, but I can still remember the days when he used to babysit me like they were yesterday. All down to what sandwich he used to make me for lunch and the yogurt he would spoon out of the bottom of the container for me. We spent a lot of time together even as the years went on and I got older. We would bicker about the math homework I had in elementary school, he would pick me up in the same spot outside of my middle school, and he proudly watched me graduate from high school.

If there’s one thing I can say about my poppy, it’s that he is so full of pride for his grandchildren. He can just about start up a conversation with any random stranger on the street just so he can brag about us. He wants the world to know how amazing we are and how proud he is and in the same way, I want everyone to know how much of an impact he’s had on my life.

Poppy used to be a firefighter here in Long Branch. He even went on to become the fire chief. If looking back on old pictures my mom shows me still seems to make that whole idea surreal, then the old firemen equipment and all of the people he’s met along the way definitely convince me that my grandfather is actually the coolest grandfather of all time. We joke around and call him the mayor because it seems that wherever he goes, he always runs into an old friend from the fire department or from the First Aid, which he is a trustee at.

It is unfortunate that a man this great suffers from the amount of health issues that he does. All my life he’s been in and out of the hospital for his bad heart, which breaks mine into pieces. I hate that he goes through all of it but seeing him bounce right back from whatever knocks him down is one of the main reasons why I aspire to be just like Poppy. He has so much strength, even at 77 years old, which is great because I don’t know what I would do without him.

For a man with heart trouble, I just don’t understand how he can hold in his heart this large amount of love he has for the people in his life. I am thankful every day for the amount of time I have been able to spend with my grandfather because of what he’s taught me. Life may knock you down and it may hurt a lot. You’re allowed to hurt from what’s happened but you should always look on the brighter side of things and draw from those things the strength you need to get back up and keep on pushing through life. Poppy continues to push through life every day and that is why he is my hero.