Truly a light, I have watched my brother struggle for roughly 30 years of life. He has severe Schizophrenia, Agoraphobia, Panic disorder, suffered from a brain tumor, has revert to the mind of a child, and is a hypochondriac. That is a lot of obstacles to overcome. I have seen both his struggles and his triumphs, his positive and negative behavior, and the simple joy that is in his heart. Every day he wakes up, he must decide to listen to the voices in his head and the paranoia in his body or to choose to rise above those challenges. Sometimes he loses, but he is at a place now where most of the time he wins. Recently we went on vacation and attended the Chinese Lantern Light Festival. There were so many people, and the noise and the crowds usually aggravate his condition. We walked along the uneven terrain, As we walked along his legs began to ache, his eyes darted around, and I saw his hands and sometimes his entire body tremble. We took several breaks and at times he shook his head or spoke to the voices he heard. I would speak softly and calmly and grab his hand. We stopped and marveled at the elaborate displays, and there were many oh's and ah's. As we finished the trail, we headed back to the car and talked about all we had just seen. Once we got in the car, there was an excited cry, "Mel I did it!". I told him how proud I was of him and we both rejoiced. That warmed my heart and filled me with hope.