“I live to make you and your family happy.” The main man in my life is the most hardworking, determined and caring person I’ve ever met. My dad, Alan, is short, with a mustache and very well built for his age. When you see this man either coaching football or just hanging out with the family you would never expect him to go through all the struggles he went through. He showed me no matter what you’re going through, you can get through it with your family by your side.

My dad grew up in Carlsbad, New Mexico to a family with little money. My dad is the oldest of 4 kids with a single mom. From the day he was born he lived with many struggles. My dad was born with two cleft foot leaving him unable to walk. My dad never had a normal childhood because he was in and out of the hospital from having surgeries. Throughout his whole childhood he was on the operation table. After multiple surgeries he was finally able to walk by the age of seven. My grandma worked day and night trying to pay the hospital bills. Before my dad was born his father left him and his family leaving him with no father figure. I think my dad not having a father figure in his life really made him want to be a really good father and make sure he can spend as much time as he can with us. I am lucky to have such a wonderful father figure in my life now who to this day shows he loves and cares about us and motivate us to do whatever will make us happy by always being about to support us and be in our lives as much as possible. Him and his siblings were in and out of fosters home because their mother was unable to support for them. My dad used to say “The kids at school used to make fun of me because I didn’t have all these nice clothes so be thankful for what is given to you.”

When my dad was about a teenager he always loved playing sports. He started with wrestling and football. During high school wrestling helped him through a lot and he became very good. At one point he moved from New Mexico to Colorado so he could further his career. He left everything he had behind and lived with his wrestling coach. He had to go to high school and work plus he had a sport which took up much of his time. All the hard work paid off once he won state from Colorado and got a scholarship for college. My dad didn’t take the scholarship instead he went to the Navy. I love hearing the stories my dad tells me about when he was in the Navy and about all the places he went too like when he went to China and talked about how gross the food was. After three years in the Navy, my dad came to Illinois while all his family was in New Mexico and met the mother of my two oldest siblings. He worked many hours just to provide for his two young kids. After his split with my two siblings mother, he met my mom and had two more kids; me and my sister Brittany who is 17 years old.

My dad is the person to do whatever it takes to just make you smile. My dad works very hard for us to just have a good life and have everything we need. I value all the time I have with my dad like how every Sunday he takes my sister and I out to breakfast so we can just spend some times together. My dad showed me if I work hard for something I can achieve anything and he motivates me to be a good person and to work for what I want. I look up to my dad more than anyone in this whole world.