Nebraska man, 21, fulfills mom's dying wish, rears youngest 2 siblings on his own

[Omaha Steve]

LAURA BEAHM/THE HASTINGS TRIBUNE VIA AP
Paraeducator Kevin Medrano works with Harvard Elementary fourth-graders Maggie Fields, far right, and Alexander Espinoza during a math class in Harvard, Neb. Medrano, a 21-year-old paraeducator at the Harvard Public Schools, is rearing his two youngest siblings, Samantha, 17, and Oscar, 14, on his own.


http://www.omaha.com/news/nebraska/nebraska-man-fulfills-mom-s-dying-wish-rears-youngest-siblings/article_0cfdd84a-b239-11e5-a519-37c8292b3f8d.html

POSTED: SUNDAY, JANUARY 3, 2016 10:43 AM | UPDATED: 4:44 PM, SUN JAN 3, 2016.

HARVARD, Neb. (AP) — Kevin Medrano has seen a lot in his 21 years.

The middle child of seven siblings, the 21-year-old paraeducator at Harvard Public Schools is fulfilling the dying wish of his mother, Ruth Elizabeth Guevara, by rearing his two youngest siblings, Samantha, 17, and Oscar, 14, on his own.

After obtaining legal custody of the pair through the court system in December 2014, he was suddenly elevated from older sibling to legal guardian. Residing in a home rented from his grandparents, he feels he is living out the role he was born to fulfill.

"I've always been the responsible kid compared to my siblings," he told the Hastings Tribune. "My mom was always sick, so I knew someone was going to have to take care of the kids. I was expecting it. I knew that nobody else would take care of them the way I would, so I stepped up and filed for custody."

FULL story at link.

[AuntPatsy]

1. Wonderful story

[Snobblevitch]

2. Wow.

What a great kid. I hope his younger siblings take after him and don't make life difficult for this unique family. I hope he gets support, both emotional and financial from his grandparents and older siblings.

(Omaha Steve, I could not read the story. The links you provide to the Omaha newspaper require a subscription.)