To my Dad,

Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), an eye disease in which the back wall of the retina is damaged, may be something you suffer from, but you definitely don’t let it hold you back. I don’t know how you do it, but you are my rock and my role model. The things you have accomplished in your life are tremendous and you are the person I strive to be. You’ve done so much for our family, as well as so many other families.

From coaching hockey to working night shifts, you never missed anything, and sometimes I questioned how? How could you possibly go from working all night to coming home, cleaning the house, getting us off the bus, going to coach hockey and then back to work for the 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. shift, but you managed, teaching me a valuable lesson. You and Mom made it to every extracurricular activity or sporting event you possibly could for your five children. You do what you need to do without question, for the people you love.

As your daughter, I know you’re suppose to have an impact on me, but the impact you have on others is tremendous. The stories that are told about your childhood, from the laughs you shared with your best friends to the helping hand you always gave to anyone. Every time you enter a hockey rink, someone knows you because of the hearts you have touched.

You are my role model, the person I want to be as I grow up. I want to be talked about the way I hear people talk about you, I want to accomplish at least half the things you’ve done in your life, and I want to make a mark on people the way you have.

You have taught me endless things; everyday I learn something new because of your presence. The importance of something like being neat or even how you should treat people. No matter the seriousness of an issue, you show us how to handle it and how to make the right decision even if that wasn’t the intended purpose. As years go by we slowly lose more important people from our lives, but you never stopped. These past few years our family has lost some extremely influential people but you showed us how to keep our heads up, proving that family will always have your back.

My accomplishments today and my views on society are all because of you and Mom and the way you’ve raised me; I couldn’t be more grateful for all of that. You have allowed me to have a good head on my shoulders. I have been blessed with the best parents a child could have and I hope I have made you proud and continue to with everything that happens in my life.

You and Mom are the reason the boys and I are successful, we owe everything to you. You have both showed us the importance of family. You both are my role models and set the best example you can. You made me a better teammate, friend, sister, daughter.

Thank you for everything. I love you.

P.S. The days of us talking about my hockey practice or game (or one of the many other sports I've played over the years) in the car are almost finished. That's one of the hardest things I have to accept.