Austin's stepmother, Elizabeth, died this past summer.
Austin is an eighth-grader playing CYO basketball in a league that goes up to 11th grade.
Austin, enduring all of these hardships, is the most valuable player on our basketball team.
He's facing more problems than most of us will face in our lifetime, yet he lives life with a smile on his face every day. The way he seems to enjoy everything he's doing all the time helps the entire team keep a positive attitude. Just seeing him smile and hearing him constantly joking and laughing prevents frustrations from mounting.
He plays basketball with more heart and hustle than anyone I have ever seen. Everyone on our team watches him play, and it drives us to try as hard as we can, as hard as he does.
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