Team Hoyt

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I was browsing through “Digg.com”:http://www.digg.com today. I was going through the videos section when I chanced upon a link to a google video titled “Can”. The title of the story on “Digg.com”:http://www.digg.com read “Strongest Dad in the World!!! Absolutely amazing! Must See!!”. Something inside me made my finger click on the link.

Amazing! That’s all I can say about the video and the story of “Team Hoyt”:http://www.teamhoyt.com/index.html.

There are stories that inspire you. Stories that truly touch something deep in your heart. Stories that make you think and say to yourself that the human spirit is such a wonderful thing. It’s capable of climbing insurmountable obstacles. Rick and Dick Hoyt’s story is one of those.

Rick was born with a severe disability. He has cerebral palsy and is a spastic quadriplegic. He also can’t talk. He uses a special computer to communicate with people.

Dick is a loving father commited to making sure that his son Rick, lives the best life he can. When doctors told Dick and his wife to place Rick in an institution because he wouldn’t be able to do anything when he grew up, they said no. They brought Rick home and raised him like any normal child. The same way they did for their two other sons.

In 1977 Rick told his father that he wanted to participate in a 5 mile benefit race for an injured lacrosse player who was paralyzed in an accident. Dick who was hardly a long distance runner agreed to push Rick in the race. They finished second to last but that didn’t matter. Later that evening Rick would tell his dad something that would change their lives forever. Rick said “he just didn’t feel handicapped when we were competing.”.

For more than 25 years now, father and son have been competing in various marathons, triathlons and other gruelling races to spread their message across, “Yes You Can”.

This story struck me because in some way I can relate to it. Like Rick I also managed to finish school despite the odds. I’ve gone on to lead a productive life. While I’m far from being the athlete that they are nor am I the ambassador for people with disabilities such as they are, I’m inspired to do what I can. Maybe one day I can do as much as they can. I promise to give it a go.

Like Dick, I also have a loving and caring father. That goes the same for the rest of my family. While my dad didn’t carry me, push me or pull me in gruelling races, he did push, pull and carry me through life. His sacrifices, hard work, perseverance and never-give-up attitude made me who I am today. For that I am eternally grateful.

This blog entry is dedicated to Team Hoyt and all the families out there who continue to battle through life dealing with disabilities. Their strength and perseverance give me hope and inspiration to carry on. Their stories fuel my motivation to turn my life hopefully into a story like theirs.

Watch the video “Can” either on “Google Video”:http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2306376850295808016&q=dick+hoyt or “You Tube”:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjPrL3n63yg or read about them in this “CNN Article”:http://www.cnn.com/US/9911/29/hoyt.family/index.html.

Visit the “Team Hoyt Website”:http://www.teamhoyt.com/history.shtml as well and read about their fantastic story.