Name: Jaclyn M. Manghir
Date Of Birth: October 25, 1994
Age: 13
Location:: Westbury, NY
School: W.T. Clarke Middle School [located in Westbury, NY]
About Jaclyn Manghir: When, I was born, everything was fine. But, when I was around 2 months old, I was diagnosed with Shone's Syndrome. This is a disease which relates to many problems involving the heart. At 3 months old, I had my first surgery. When I was going to preschool, I went to a special preschool, because I had problems with tasks such as walking on hard surfaces or picking up a spoon.
Jaclyn Manghir's Thoughts And Feelings: In the past 13 years of my life, I've had about 5-6 surgeries, as well as a couple of procedures. My life has been very tough, but I am grateful to have my friends and my family to help me along. Recently, I had another procedure, and my friends definitely helped me get through this one! Around 
Thanksgiving, in Math class, we did this activity where we each had to write one nice thing about someone. By the time the class was over, I had a full sheet of nice things people had written about me. Before I got my procedure done, I looked at that sheet of paper. When I woke up from the procedure, the doctors told me that everything went well. Also, on December 19, 2007, I was lucky enough to get the chance to meet some amazing people, and I truly mean that. I got to meet Danny Garcia, a man who has risked his life to show people that he truly cares. I got to meet some wonderful kids from a small country in Africa called Rwanda. they are called the Mizero Children of Rwanda. They were so sweet. Not to mention, they were so brave. They've lost their parents in the Rwandan Genocide. Yet, they got the courage to come to NY and perform in front of me and others. You know, at the end of the performance, my mom and my grandma asked me what I thought of the event and the kids.
This is what I told them: "I don't know why people are so afraid of people from Africa. Just because their skin is dark, doesn't mean their personalities are, too. They've gone through so much, yet they still have so much hope. Deep down, they really are good people. And it was a great experience to meet them."
Truly, I meant what I said, these people are truly an inspiration to others. And they've taught me a valuable lesson, no matter how bad life is, you shouldn't let it get you down. Life is a roller coaster, we have our ups and our downs, but with good people in our lives, everything will be ok. Besides, mizero means "hope" in Kinyarwanda. I know that as I get older, my life will get much more dfficult. But I will take along with me, as I get older, all these wonderful memories.
I wish you the best of luck, good health, and happiness throughout your life.
Sincerely,
Jaclyn M. Manghir
