The story of Ben Breedlove, the teenager diagnosed with a disease that
he knew would result in a young death, is by now very well-known.
Breedlove took to YouTube repeatedly and became an Internet sensation.
Just 18 years old, Breedlove was diagnosed with hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy at a very young age. The disease is one in which the
muscles of the heart have difficulty pumping blood. At the time of the
diagnosis, his doctor did not believe that Breedlove would live past his
early teen years.
Breedlove lived a bit past that mark, but on Christmas day in 2011, he
passed away, with cardiac arrest being the cause of death. The Monday
after Christmas, his parents discovered his videos on YouTube, and
though they had already gone viral, his parents have said that they feel
like the videos are for them alone, and are helping them to deal with
the pain of their loss. Said his sister Ally of her parents, "They were
brought to tears, seeing their son again. And they too were amazed at
the depth he showed in this video."
She added, "Ben told us he wanted to go back, of the peace he
experienced and how he wanted to go back to that place. And that he was
ready. And personally I think he left it for us to find. This was his
way of leaving us with something that we would need." What is clear is
that Breedlove inspired those who saw his videos but, even more, he
inspired those around him. Speaking at his funeral, his sister noted in a
speech that she was wearing earrings that Ben had given her, and had
decided to wear a blue dress to the service because it was so colorful.
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