Mattie Stepanek's "Heartsong" poetry series debuts as choral concert at Carnegie Hall

From USA Today:

At the age of 13, Mattie Stepanek had befriended some of the world's most influential philosophers, poets and opinion leaders. Jimmy Carter described him as "the most remarkable person I have ever known," Good Morning America reported.

By all accounts, Mattie had lead a fuller life than most adults although wheel-chair bound and dealing with life-threatening health complications from Dysautonomic Mitochondrial Myopathy, a rare form of muscular dystrophy.

You see, the reason he couldn't be slowed down was that he had a special gift, or his Heartsong, to share with the world -- his message of peace and hope through poetry.

Starting at the age of 3, Mattie let his Heartsong take flight, authoring seven books of poetry, three of which landed on the New York Times' best-seller list. Mattie passed away in 2004 before his 14th birthday, but his words continue to live on and inspire.

June 6, at 8:30 p.m., Mattie's bestselling Heartsongs series debuted as a choral performance at the Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Jeni Stepanek (pictured), Mattie's mother and founder of the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Foundation, partnered with Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) to bring his poetry to life on stage with the talent of composer Joseph Martin and the Houston Children's Choir. The concert is a part of the Pepsi Refresh program, and proceeds will benefit Sing for the Cure and Mattie's foundation.