Matthew Joseph Thaddeus “Mattie” Stepanek, the courageous little boy who became a best-selling poet and advocate for muscular dystrophy awareness on network talk shows including “Oprah ...

Jeni Stepanek also has the disease, which claimed the lives of three of Mattie's siblings. Matt Houston/AP, FILE The date was selected because Mattie -- who wrote several books of inspirational ...

Mattie Stepanek died in 2004 from his disease. Carter gave the 13-year-old boy's eulogy. Former US president Jimmy Carter speaks during the funeral service for Matthew "Mattie" Stepanek ...

Jeni Stepanek, the mother of young poet and peacemaker Mattie Stepanek, knew former President Jimmy Carter as few did — as a neighbor and friend. Carter died at the age of 100 on Sunday.

Matthew Joseph Thaddeus Stepanek bled from his fingertips when he wrote. And he was writing a lot at the end of his life, when he was one of the most famous boys in the world. He left red traces on ...