We often think of children, teens, or young adults that had to grow up either motherless or fatherless, it always seems as though we think of normal everyday people. We try and look at celebrities, famous athletes, and other famous people as a category all in their own. In other words, we think of only the non-famous people (like us) go through hard times, and that celebrities and athletes have it so easy and don't have to go through life's tough stuff like we have to because they have it made, right?
Wrong.
Famous people, whether they are an actor, writer, celebrity, or even an athlete go through the tough stuff in life just as much or sometimes even more than us non-famous people do. If you think about it, the only difference between a famous person and a non-famous one is their salary. We are all considered equal and should be judged by the content of our character and not our salary. Just because a person is famous does not mean that they are a better or worse person than a non-famous one and vice versa. We are all people trying to live a good life.
One famous athlete, who is quite a star in our local community, is seen among NFL and ESPN watchers as a hero on the big screen--but what these viewers may not realize is that it is what Larry Fitzgerald Jr. has done off the field and off of the big screen that makes him a true hero to our community.
Sadly Larry and his brother Marcus lost their mother to breast cancer back in 2003, the disease she had already been fighting for seven years when they were just young adults. Their mother was known as the most unselfish person you could have ever met. She was such a beautiful person that put everyone ahead of herself, and aside from doing all of that and taking good care of her family, she also founded not one but two AIDS-related agencies in their community.
After she died, Larry has been involved in the community just as much or even more than he was when his mom was still alive. You see, Carol Fitzgerald was highly involved in various charitable ventures throughout her lifetime. She passed on that gift of generosity, kindness, and value to the rest of her family, which Larry continues on proving presently to various communities today. As a result, the Carol Fitzgerald Memorial Fund was established in her honor that benefits the very causes Carol was fighting for.
Larry Fitzgerald Jr. is a phenomenal hero to our community because after his mother died he stayed on the positive path. He chose to continue being involved in the community as well as focus on his career and has done other events for charities such as Celebrity Fight Night, Celebrity Waiter Night, and also even established the Larry Fitzgerald First Down Fund to help children and their families. He is a great leader for all of those who are experiencing the loss of a mother.
Carol Fitzgerald would be very proud of him today and I am sure she is watching over him daily, for he truly is an inspiration to all of the parentless children out there.
