| Mattie Stepanek |
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Matthew "Mattie" Joseph Thaddeus Stepanek ( list. Mattie wanted to be remembered as "a poet, a peacemaker, and a philosopher who played." His mother fulfilled her promise to Mattie and edited one last collection of poetry, entitled ''Reflections of a Peacemaker'', another NY Times bestseller. The forthcoming ''Just Peace'' is a collection of Mattie's correspondence with President Jimmy Carter and essays on Peace . Stepanek had a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy , Dysautonomic Mitochondrial Myopathy . His sister and two brothers died from the disease, and his mother suffers from the adult form, diagnosed only ''after'' her children were born. In 2002 , Stepanek became the Muscular Dystrophy Association National Goodwill Ambassador, due to his national high profile because of his poetry and related appearances on Oprah , Larry King Live , and Good Morning America . He died at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, June 22 , 2004 . Stepanek's funeral was held on June 28 , 2004 at St. Catherine Laboure Catholic Church in Wheaton, Maryland . Nearly 1,350 people attended, including Oprah Winfrey and country singer Billy Gilman . A Eulogy was delivered by President Jimmy Carter who said, "We have known kings and queens, and we've known presidents and prime ministers, but the most extraordinary person whom I have ever known in my life is Mattie Stepanek." EXTERNAL LINKS
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