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Martin Solano Jr. (pictured on left with T.J. Deam) was a faithful disciple in the teen ministry of the South Florida Church of Christ. Martin was diagnosed with a brain tumor two years ago, and passed away on December 11, 2009 at the age of 13, but he didn't leave us without making a major impact in tons of our lives.
It is often when people go through hard situations that their true self emerges, and this has certainly been true with Martin. Shortly after his diagnosis, Martin underwent emergency surgery that left him with significant paralysis and immobility as well as facing extensive treatments and ongoing tests. But his illness was never what defined him. His example can encourage and challenge each of us.
Martin touched the life of each person he met with his sincere love and faith. In the month before his death, Martin was speaking with one of our ministers after attending a Worship Concert at our church building. After saying encouraging words to the minister about the concert, upon leaving Martin said something quite profound. He told the minister, "Have a joyful life". There are several qualities that stood out in Martin that enabled him to truly live a joyful life. Our hope is that you will be inspired by Martin to live a joyful life as God has intended.
Martin saw the good in everything and everyone. He always found a compliment or something positive to say about you, whether he liked your shirt, your earrings, or just thought you smelled good. You could not leave his presence without him expressing multiple compliments. He freely expressed affection without being held back by a concern of what others might think of him.
Martin was genuinely grateful. As a 13 year old, he loved many things (Star Wars, Superman, cooking, and video games, to name a few). To him, everything was viewed as a gift from God. He expressed his gratitude all the time. Even during times when he had little energy or ability, he would thank his friends for being with him. And as special as Martin is, we believe he learned thankfulness first from his loving mother, Yaremi. After Martin's initial diagnosis, Yaremi starting posting updates on his condition and progress on the CaringBridge website. Upon Martin's passing, we looked again at this website and started reading these journal entries. No matter how bad the news was, or how hard things were, in single entry you finds Yaremi expressing her thankfulness to God and to people. Any act of service was notice and appreciated.
Martin loved his family and he loved his friends. Martin didn't pull away from people or try to face this situation alone. He would openly express his problems and feelings. He got strength from his friends.
He was always a great friend, through thick and thin. We were reminded of this as we looked through pictures we had of Martin. He was the first to be anywhere to support his friends. There's Martin at TJ's Christmas play last year; there he is at the birthday parties. It didn't matter to Martin that he couldn't always participate - he knew he was there for his friend. At a point in his life when both mobility and energy was diminished, Martin made his parents take him to see TJ perform in a play, even though the location of the play was a significant distance from his home. He was devoted when it was not easy for him to be.
Martin never complained. We are hesitant to use absolutes, but it's true: we cannot think of a single time Martin complained - not about his illness, or being in the hospital, or any of his physical limitations. He would state a problem or difficulty as a fact, but never complained. As his condition worsened and his abilities diminished, he'd enjoy what he could. He'd play video games (usually Mario Kart) and could beat pretty much anyone using only one hand! When he could no longer play video games, he'd was happy simply to watch movies with his friends.
Two weeks before he died, we went with Martin to see the movie, "The Blind Side". As we were leaving the theatre, Martin commented to us, "The movie was awesome! I couldn't hear a word of it, but I could tell it was really awesome!" The fact that he couldn't hear was not a complaint, and it wasn't what was most important to him. He was so happy to be together.
Above all, Martin really loved God. We are reminded of Martin when we read this scripture:
1 Peter 1:22: Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.
At such a young age, Martin had the faith and conviction to study the Bible and became a Christian. Because of his obedience to the truth, Martin will always be remembered for his sincere love for brothers (and sisters), and how he loved deeply, from the heart. We were with Martin just a few days before he died. Martin could barely hear anything and was sleeping most of the time. But he woke up for his friends and one of the last things he said to them was to become disciples.
We are so thankful to have been blessed with knowing Martin and that he considered us his friends.
A special video of Martin was produced by Felecia Theune, a member of the South Florida Church, for the memorial service in celebration of Martin. The tribute video is below.
The Super Life of Martin Jr - Super Martin Solano from YOUnique Videos on Vimeo.