Tag Archives: Dad

Hero Story

 My hero is my dad. His full name is Shu Shiuh-Shieu Lin. He was born on May 7th, 1966 to Amy and Young Tso (pronounced “so”) Lin in Kaosiung (pronounce “kao-shung”), Taiwan. He has two older sisters, Janet and Kay. He lived in Taiwan until seventh grade. For seventh grade he moved to California with his family. After he graduated from high school, he went on to be a Cardiovascular and Thoracic (heart and lung) surgeon. He also became a professor of Immunology (branch of medicine and biology concerned with immunity) and Pathology (the science or the study of the origin, nature, and course of diseases). He currently lives in Durham, NC as a surgeon and professor at Duke Hospital. He has two daughters, Sydney (12) and Samantha (7), and one son/ dog, Gomez (2).

    As a child, my dad did not like to study and he was very athletic. He was always playing baseball or hanging out with his friends. His best friend in 5th and 6th grade was Vincient Wang, the leader and founder of their group who was a couple years older than my dad. They called their group fēng gǒu, or crazy dog group in English. His greatest achievement in grade school was in 5th grade when he won an essay writing contest. One of the most disappointing times was when he didn’t get picked for the competitive dodge ball team. My dad and his sisters fought, but not much. When they did, it was usually over food. Once his oldest sister, Janet, sat on my dad’s model airplane that he made.

    My dad is my hero because he is so kind. My dad really likes to play basketball and has friends that he often plays with. When he goes, I go with him to watch. During breaks, he teaches me how to dribble and shoot baskets. We always play until his teammates call him back. After basketball, he always asks, “Do you want to go get some ice cream?”  Of course I say yes every time! Another way my dad shows kindness is in the way he participates and supports me in all of my activities. On Sundays, I participated in Mr. Block’s weekend basketball camp. My dad would come with me and always be one of the parents who helped out. The fact that he was so helpful by being there, always boosted my confidence since I knew he had (and still has) a busy schedule.

    My dad is a hero because he is so helpful in so many ways. Not only does he save and lengthen people’s lives as a doctor, but he also provides for our family. My mom is a nurse at Duke hospital. She once told the story of a man that had just had surgery. He was starting to wake up when my dad, his surgeon, came by to check on him. The man reached up, grabbed my dad’s face and said, “I love you man,” then fell back to sleep. Later when I interviewed my dad he said, “I was just happy he spoke. And that he didn’t have a stroke. I understood his appreciation. People show their appreciation differently.” In my opinion, that man was lucky to have such a trustworthy surgeon.

    To do surgery you need a steady hand and lots of focus. Not only that, but you need to be trustworthy. Your patient needs to be able to trust you. My dad’s patients all trust him to do surgery on them. Another thing you need to be to be a good surgeon is intelligence.

    My dad did not like to study, but he was lucky that he was very good at it anyway. He said, “I was lucky. Also I was very persistent. Don’t be afraid to have to work hard. There is no free lunch, you need to work hard.” After finishing high school, he got into Harvard University. He graduated from Harvard University in 1988. After Harvard, he went to medical school, internship, fellowship, and residency at Duke University.

    My dad has influenced my life by teaching me how to play basketball and chess. Also he has inspired me to keep doing what I like to do by showing determination. I’m lucky to have him as my dad, because he really is a true hero.

My Hero Story

In LA, we created books about our heroes with Peg Gignoux out of paper, paint, and imagination! Here’s my hero story! Enjoy!

My Hero

Timothy John Cunneen


My hero is one of the few people I can trust with all of my personal information. He’s always there for me when I need him. Give up? My hero is my dad. His name is Tim Cunneen. He is 44 years old and was born on October 14, 1966. Dad was born in Putnam, Connecticut but currently lives in Durham, North Carolina. Dad lives with his wife, Mary Anne and his two daughters, my sister Katie and me. We have a dog named Jackson. My dad now works at Smith Breeden. Read on to find out why this man is my hero.

My dad lived in Danielson, Connecticut all of his life. The hospital in Putnam was the closest hospital to my dad. He went to public school and had to walk over this huge hill to get there each day. For pets, my dad and his sisters had guinea pigs, dogs, and cats. Here’s a funny story about my Aunt Sandy, who is my dad’s sister. My aunt hugged her guinea pig so hard, she killed it! When my dad was a kid he liked to play basketball, soccer, and baseball. His favorite food was cheese sandwiches and he hated liver, as he has all of his life.

My dad moved to a different house in the same town when he was 12. In his free time my dad focused on basketball because he played on the school team. His favorite food was lobster and least favorite food…. still liver! Every Friday during the winter, my dad and his dad went over to their neighbor’s house to swim in his indoor pool. My dad got his first car when he was sixteen. It was a 1966 yellow Pontiac Catalina Convertible. My dad met my mom at work and they fell in love.

One reason that my dad is a hero to me is that he’s generous. We both love Duke and have season tickets to the Men’s Basketball games. He is generous with his money because those tickets are pretty expensive, especially when you add the food and sometimes a milkshake! Also, my dad is generous with his time. Most basketball games take about two hours and there’s still commute time. He also spends time with me during the weekends and the weekdays. Also, my dad always finds time for me. Even if he has something planned, he’ll still hang out with me. And that’s why my dad is the most unselfish person I know.

My dad is a hero because he’s encouraging. He always wants me to do my best in school and sports. When I played soccer, he was always at my games. Now, at swim meets, my dad gives me a big hug when I drop time. When my report card comes, he first asks me if I’ve tried my hardest. If I tell him yes, then he isn’t mad if I get bad grades. When I do get good grades, he tells me he’s very proud of me and to keep up the good work. My dad likes to encourage me and that means a lot to me.


My dad is a hero because he’s caring. If someone is being rude to me, he’ll stop and listen. When I’m having a bad day, he’ll give me some space and tell me to go outside and chill or to calm down first and then he’ll talk to me. After our talks,  I always feel much better. When I’m hurt, he’ll give me a hand and help me back up. That’s how my dad shows me he cares.

My dad has had a huge impact on my life. He’s taught me to be kind and to take what life gives me and twist it until I’m satisfied. My dad has also taught me to obey rules and never, ever cheer for UNC! We’re Blue Devils for life. So, that’s why my dad is my hero. He has taught me so much and he is encouraging, caring, and generous. One day, I hope to grow up to be just like him.

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