The Tale Of Two Heroes.

What do you imagine when you think about a hero?  Most envision people with super-human qualities that make them larger than life.  Hollywood movies have trained us to think this way through characters like Batman, Superman, the X-Men, and more.

But, the fact of the matter is, real heroes do exist.  They NEVER have super-human powers.  Ironically, most of the time, they are either completely average or are even challenged in a way that would lead some people to believe they could never be a hero.

Harry Moseley is a perfect example.  Harry was a cancer stricken Birmingham, England youngster who is the subject of a new book written by his mother.

Harry was only 11 years old and struggled with a brain tumor.  At a time when many people feel sorry for themselves and give up, Harry dedicated his life to helping others.

He made bracelets to raise cash for several charities.  He also donated gifts sent to him from other people and went to schools to talk to students.  From doing all of this, he raised more than £650,000 for charity.

Harry’s legacy will live on partly because of what he did and partly because his mother has authored a book about her son with the help of a ghost writer. She said, “He would have been so proud of the book.  I only wish that it was an autobiography rather than a biography. I’m just writing it on his behalf…  It has been a real labor of love to put together. There have been emotional moments, and I cry whenever I have to read through it again, but I believe Harry deserved this.”

She added, “The story relives Harry’s life, but focuses more on when he was diagnosed and how he selflessly helped others. A lot of people know about the bracelets, but they don’t know about the other things he did… I wanted to tell people about his work and this was the perfect way to do it.”

Harry is not alone.  Paul Oxley has a story that is equally impressive.  Paul suffered with cystic fibrosis his entire life, but he did not let his illness get in the way of helping others.

He belonged to a site called “post pals” and took time every single day to help other sick children.  He constantly encouraged the children to make the most of their lives and stay positive despite their illnesses.  Even with everything he did, Paul still had time to play football or referee the games.

Not only that, over the years he raised more than £12,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust in the hopes of helping other sufferers with the condition. He was named a Herald Young Hero in 2010 and received the Marjorie Lynden Stannator Award for his charity work. The devoted youngster also received a Lifetime Achievement accolade at the Pride of Plymouth awards in 2009.

All this time, he was struggling himself and waiting for a transplant that never came.  Several times he got the call saying they had found a donor, but each time they ended up not being compatible.

Paul Oxley passed away at the age of 21, still waiting for that transplant.

That’s why his parents are making a plea to change organ donor laws.  They would like to see it changed to an opt-out system.  In other words, everyone is automatically an organ donor and must opt out if they do not want to do it.