Attached Link: http://edition.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/books/06/22/obit.stepanek.ap/

This is sad, or inspiring, or both...depending on your viewpoint. Decide for yourself: Child poet Mattie Stepanek dies One of the best-selling poets in recent years Wednesday, June 23, 2004 Posted: 0134 GMT (0934 HKT) ANNAPOLIS, Maryland (AP) -- Mattie Stepanek, the child poet whose inspirational verse made him a best-selling writer and a prominent voice for muscular dystrophy sufferers, died Tuesday of a rare form of the disease. He was 13. Stepanek died at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, the hospital said. He had been hospitalized since early March for complications related to the disease that impaired most of his body's functions. In his short life, the tireless Stepanek wrote five volumes of poetry that sold millions of copies. Three of the volumes reached the New York Times' best-seller list. ~Full Article can be found at link~

Attached Link: http://www.mattieonline.com/index.htm

Mattie was/is a beautiful soul...his wisdom went well beyond his years..

I have a framed poem written by this remarkable young man. May he find a whole body to go with that whole spirit in the afterlife.

Former President Jimmy Carter delivers these words at Matties funeral. "I have known kings and queens, presidents and prime ministers," Carter said. "But the most extraordinary person I have ever known in my life was Mattie Stepanek."