Political Quotes

“I would like to take a moment to tell you about a remarkable young man from my hometown of Springfield, IL. His name is Matthew Blade. In late May, Matthew graduated from Lutheran High School in Springfield as his class valedictorian. He was also the president of his senior class, president of his school's Spanish Honor Society and an Illinois State scholar. He was involved in theater and Madrigal singers and his school's praise band. He was a member of Students Against Destructive Decisions. Outside of school, Matthew volunteers at a local food pantry, and he is an Eagle Scout. If Matthew Blade had done nothing more, he would be exceptional. What makes Matthew's accomplishments even more extraordinary is that Matthew Blade spent half of his high school years battling bone cancer. He first felt the pain in his left arm when he was 15 years old, a sophomore. At first, he thought he might have pulled a muscle playing soccer. When the pain didn't go away, Matthew went in for x rays, then an MRI. The same day he underwent the MRI, Matthew and his parents, Doug and Tricia, received the devastating diagnosis. The pain in Matthew's arm was not a sprained muscles; it was most likely osteocarcoma, a type of bone cancer. What Matthew did next tells you a lot about his character. He went to school, didn't tell anyone about his diagnosis, took a biology exam-- and aced the test. But Matthew wasn't able to keep his diagnosis private for long.…”