The man who gave me music.

I credit one man with saving me from a terrible life, as well as giving me a reason to wake up each day. In this sense he is my personal hero, and I will never forget his contribution to my life at a time when I had less than nothing.

At the age of 18 I was considers to be the greatest violinist that had ever come through the doors of Felix Varela High School. Even with my young age, I had already been commissioned by local schools and composers to perform their pieces in concert, and I was the leader of a very talented and profitable string quartet. The most influential person I knew at the school was my music teacher Mr. Matheny, an elderly and passionate cellist who taught orchestra. It was thanks to him that I was the musician that I was.

Four years after graduating, my life had turned around for the worse. My parents, who both lived in Puerto Rico, were unable to assist me with school and expenses; I had to resort to selling most of my possessions in order to make tuition. My car, my computer, most of my cloths… everything went. The last thing to leave my hands was my violin, without which I had nothing to express myself with and no passion for anything. The apartment soon followed, and I found myself homeless, empty and alone. I roamed the streets for weeks, maybe months, begging and going what I could to manage.

Then one winter’s day I found myself outside a Salvation Army store near my teen neighborhood, when I happened to spot Mr. Matheny from across the street just as he’d spotted me. We quickly reacquainted ourselves, and I told him my story. He could not believe that I did not have the instrument that I’d dedicated my entire young life to, and so he invited me to his home. There he showed me a violin his grandfather had given him, and since he did not know how to use it, and his children weren’t musicians, he gave me the instrument, which was more than 100 years old and beautifully toned.

I stayed with Mr. Matheny for a few weeks, doing chores around the house and practicing my violin daily until my arms gave out. When I’d regained my skills, Mr. Matheny introduced me to a local network of dedicated stringed musicians, where I found a group that was in need of a violinist. We’ve since performed all over Miami at weddings and events, making decent money while doing what we love.

Eventually I was able to find a job tutoring on violin, and the combined income of the group and the tutoring allowed me to move out of Mr. Matheny\’s house and find an apartment of my own. I was in contact with my old professor until his death in 2008, and I kept him up to date on all my musical accomplishments, including being accepted into several local professional orchestras. Today when people ask me what my inspiration is, I tell them my story and keep Mr. Matheny’s memory alive. If not for him, I don’t know where I’d be right now, and I most definitely would not be doing what I love with my life, and because of that, Mr. Matheny is and will always be my greatest personal hero.

Story submitted by karl Hernandez