Enjoy Reading Mattie's Three Wishes
Mattie J.T. Stepanek was born in the U.S. in 1990. 
Ever since he was a baby, he suffered from a serious illness. 
When he was nine years old, he became too sick to go to school. 
He had to fight for his life. 
However, he was still full of hope, and he wrote many beautiful poems.

When he was ten years old, Mattie's illness got worse, and he almost died. 
Mattie made three wishes on the Internet. 
He wanted to publish a poetry book, to meet former President Jimmy Carter, 
and to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show, a famous television talk show.
Mattie's second wish came true after only a few days. 
President Carter called him. 
He was Mattie's hero, and Mattie wanted to be a peacemaker like him when he grew up. 
They talked about problems in the world. 
They became close friends and wrote to each other. 

Mattie's first wish came true in 2001. 
His first poetry book, Heartsongs, came out and became a best-seller. 
His hopeful poems touched many people's hearts.
As for Mattie's third wish, Oprah Winfrey asked Mattie to appear on her show. 
On the show, Mattie read his poems and talked about his love for life. People were deeply moved by his story.
Mattie published four more poetry books in his life. 
He passed away in 2004, just about a month before his 14th birthday. 
Mattie lived a short life, but his spirit and poems are still giving hope to many people all around the world.