When I was younger it seemed the ultimate hero was Batman or Spiderman. As I matured, I looked to real people with some of these qualities to be my ultimate hero including being strong, honest, friendly, brave, skilled, hardworking, and reliable. The person I think of when I hear these words is my dad.

My dad is one of the toughest people I have ever met. He has been through it all. When I was five, 60 percent of his body was burned. In 1999 he fell from a tree, breaking his arm and shattering his ankle. In 2004, he had a liver transplant after being on the list for six years after a bad blood transfusion that gave him Hepatitis C. Now, my dad is 45 years old and feels better than he has in 15 years.

My dad is one of the most reliable people I know. Anything I ask of him, he does. Whenever he tells me he is going to do something, it is always done before I get home from work. Whenever I need my dad, he is there. When I was ten and he told me my grandmother was going to die, I felt really down. He was the one there trying to cheer me up.

My dad has worked hard for everything he has. At home, he is always busy doing projects and has painted every room in our house. After our shop was built, he constructed an office you would think a professional built. When I do something stupid, he helps me fix it. Of course, he does his complaining, but I know he likes fixing things just as much as I like tearing them up.

My dad has been one of the greatest parts of my life. I have learned a lot from watching him and I don’t believe I will ever meet anyone like him. I hope when I grow up, I can possess the same qualities as my dad, and have someone look up to me as a good role model. This is why my dad is my hero.