March 15, 2018. That’s a day Sophomore Martin Ramirez-Olivo will never forget. On that day, his sister, who he looks up to as a mother figure, introduced to him his niece. From that day forward, his niece stole his heart. 

For most of his life, Martin’s sister was the most important family to him.  

“Ever since I was little, she was always there,” Ramirez–Olivo said.  

They created a special bond due to all the time they spent together and the caring nature his sister, Alex Gibson, always had toward him.  

“When I was younger, she’d always fed me and stuff,” Ramirez–Olivo said.  

It’s safe to say, Martin and Alex were close.  

Alex was expecting her first child, and Martin couldn’t wait. 

The awaited call came during the night.  

“We got a call: The baby is coming,” Ramirez–Olivo said. 

Ramirez–Olivo, his brother and his father all sped to the hospital.  

“It was late at night when we got there,” Ramirez–Olivo said. 

Ramirez–Olivo expected he’d have a new niece by the end of the night, but that night dragged into two days.  

“I harassed a vending machine,” Ramirez–Olivo said. “I kept on hitting it for stuff to fall out because I was hungry, and no one was getting us food.”  

In actuality, Ramirez–Olivo just wanted something do and wasn’t even all that hungry.  

He passed the time by having crazy adventures at the hospital. Since there was little to do, they improvised by making do with what they had.  

“We used my Grandfather’s wheelchair, and we raced down the hallway that led right to the lounge area before you go into the patient room area,” Ramirez-Olivo said.  “We took turns speeding down the hall.”  

Also, he said they passed the time trying to decipher how to change the TV channels and looking for free stuff in the hospital.    

It was a long stay, but it was all worth it in the end.  

Ramirez–Olivo said he’ll never forget the first time he saw his niece. 

“I was like, ‘woah, this is a child,’” Ramirez-Olivo said. “I was in shock. I guess I was excited.”  

Her name is Sophia Rose Gibson, and now Martin and Sophia are two peas in a pod. 

“She is the most adorable child in the world, and I love her so much. She is amazing,” Ramirez–Olivo said.