Let me introduce you to an amazing nine year old boy, Ian Swarr. He was born with Epidermolysis Bullosa, a rare genetic skin disorder. EB patients have skin as fragile as a butterfly's wing which can blister at the slightest touch...even from a mother's cuddle. Normal day-to-day life can cause constant pain and scarring, which, in the worse forms, can lead to disfigurement, disability and often early death. As a consequence, any activity that rubs or causes pressure produces a painful sore to a second degree burn. As if the diagnosis is not heartbreaking enough, no treatment for EB has been effective. Parents have coped by protecting the child's skin with gauze and ointments to prevent and protect the wounds and healthy skin.

Ian is unlike most children. He is not able to run, play sports or even swim in the ocean. He is very limited as to what food he can consume (only soft things). The scar tissue has caused Ian's esophagus to be no bigger than a pencil . He has under gone three surgeries to open his esophagus to make it easier to eat, and even swallow his own saliva. Yet he does not complain, nor does he think negative. Instead he sets his goals high and he dreams big. The most important, in fact, is to become a fire fighter so that he can save others (he even has his own pager which he takes everywhere he goes). Talk about a hero. He shows all of us that no matter how bad a situation is, you can always get through it with a smile on your face and a little perseverance.