15-year-old Jonathan Gutierrez might just be the youngest superhero to date. Recently, a video of him went viral showing how he’s sacrificed a lot of his youth to take care of his mother, grandmother and brother while his father works 60 hours a week, reported NBC Bay Area. His mother suffers from multiple sclerosis, his grandmother just started experiencing dementia and his brother has sagittal craniosynostosis. While it’s a lot of responsibility for anyone, let alone a teenage boy, Jonathan is the most giving and loving son, who wants nothing but the best for his family.
Jennifer, his mother, has expressed how embarrassed she is that the responsibility has fallen on him, but she will be the first to say that Jonathan keeps the most positive attitude and is really the glue to his family. Jennifer shared that some weeks are harder than others, and during the hard weeks it’s hard for her to even get out of bed, or even walk. Without Jonathan, she has no idea how they could keep going the way they do. He’s a true blessing.
Everyday Jonathan makes dinner, helps his brother with his homework, assists his grandmother around and attends to whatever else is needed at the time. While caring full-time for his family, he is a full time high school student. He’s a member of the school’s American Association for Caregiving Youth Program and it allows him to share his experiences with likeminded individuals. It’s been extremely helpful to have others listen and understand what he’s going through.
While Jonathan was always a silent hero, his generosity quickly was exposed when a video of him assisting his family went viral online. Vice News posted a video on their Facebook that blew up to nearly 2 million views. The video spotlights what he does, as well as the program he’s involved with. Jennifer and Jonathan hope the video can help others in his situation and enlighten them by bringing these helpful programs to the forefront.
You can watch the video HERE.
