But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.
Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in Marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a Wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and Pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.
Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back Mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. On a bike. Makes Taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?
And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life. This love story began in Winchester , Mass. , 43 years ago, when Rick Was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him Brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.
"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life;'' Dick says doctors told him And his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. ``Put him in an Institution.''
But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes Followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the Engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was Anything to help the boy communicate. ``No way,'' Dick says he was told. ``There's nothing going on in his brain.''
"Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a Lot was going on in his brain. Rigged up with a computer that allowed Him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his Head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? ``Go Bruins!'' And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the School organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, ``Dad, I want To do that.''
Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described ``porker'' who never ran More than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he Tried. ``Then it was me who was handicapped,'' Dick says. ``I was sore For two weeks.''
That day changed Rick's life. ``Dad,'' he typed, ``when we were running, It felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!''
And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly Shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.
``No way,'' Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a Single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few Years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then They found a way to get into the race Officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the Qualifying time for Boston the following year.
Then somebody said, ``Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?''
How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he Was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick Tried.
Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii . It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud Getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you Think?
Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? ``No way,'' he says. Dick does it purely for ``the awesome feeling'' he gets seeing Rick with A cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.
This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best Time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world Record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to Be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the Time.
``No question about it,'' Rick types. ``My dad is the Father of the Century.''
And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a Mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries Was 95% clogged. ``If you hadn't been in such great shape,'' One doctor told him, ``you probably would've died 15 years ago.'' So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.
Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass. , always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.
That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.
``The thing I'd most like,'' Rick types, ``is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once.''
Submitted by monkey on Thu, 10/19/2006 - 12:21pm.
72698 views
this guy is insane such a warrior |
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that is so awsome a dad like that i would have to say is the best dad in the world!!!! |
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Wow....It motivates me to do better for myself...you waste the great potential the lord gave you with this wonderful body if you don't make the most of it...I can imagine and I will... |
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How gut-wrenchingly beautiful! Such an awesome and inspiring story. |
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Unbelievable, awesome! This is true Love. |
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This Touched my Heart!!! This was awesome!! |
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BEAUTIFUL!!! |
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Words fail me. Awesome human beings...both of them. It will certainly make me think twice the next time I think I canNOT do something. The little train that went up a hill...NOT! These two are TRUE heroes and should motivate everyone to do their best. CAN...words to live by!! |
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What an awesome Father and individual! |
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Well you were right about the Kleenex. I had never heard this inspirational story. Until reading this story, I had been proud of the fact that I completed a mini triathlon at the age of 38 after smoking two packs a day for 20 years. The worlds best father and son combo for sure. |
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wow |
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Awesome exhibit of love and dedication. Tears are flowing. |
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This makes me feel like such a loser. I am healthy, my children are healthy and I still don't do those things. We could all use some of their ambition and love. |
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Worlds best Dad, I don't think so, how about worlds best human being. |
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I was filled with joy as they came across the finish line. |
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My heart was filled with joy after seeing this inspirational story. I must have watched the video 20 times straight! Redmond, WA. |
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Without comparison, this is the most inspirational story I have heard. Too many times during our lives, we provide excuses, usually diguised as reasons, as to why we can't possibly accomplish something because of what we don't have available to us. This is a wondferful illustration of what can be achieved by maximizing the talents God had provided for each of us. I only wish I could say that I have maximized my potential as the Hoyts have chosen to do. They are role models for us all. |
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Awsome does not even begin to descibe these two beautiful people. They are definitly walking in God's shadow. I at the age of 37 years old could not even attempt something so wonderful. Dick Hoyt is the most selfless loving caring human i have ever had the pleasure of learning about. |
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we all need to take time and think of others for a change. that was a wonderful story, god bell them |
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I love the Hoyt family! What a beautiful picture this is of our true condition and the work that the Father does to get us across the finish line! You see, He does the work. We obey, we submit, we get to rejoice with Him as we cross the finish line together. "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a could of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Romans 12:1-2 |
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I have heard of and been amazed by the Hoyts earlier this year. The tissues were still need to watch the video. But all I can think of was if this had happen to a family during this day and age, the doctors may have found the problem sooner and then insisted on terminating the pregancy. This just shows that God creates every single human being for a purpose. You may not have seen what your purpose is, but God knows it. God knows everything about you and the kicker is that He still Loves you anyway. Every child is a gift, every life is a gift no matter if that life is perfect or not. To God you are perfect. Live your life in His perfect grace and you will feel that wonderful feeling that you felt watching the Hoyt's cross the finish line. |
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A MOTHER POSTED THIS IS OUR NAVY-PARENT SITE. WE THINK WE ARE HAVING A HARD TIME NOT SEEING OUR KIDS WHILE THEY SERVE THIS GREAT COUNTRY. WELL ALL I CAN SAY IS THIS IS A STORY THAT SHOWS WHAT AMERICANS ARE MADE OF, AND THAT THIS IS WHAT OUR CHILDREN ARE PROTECTING |
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What a bond between these two. The life he gave his child. The love and the devotion. I'm a parent of two children myself and if there was a "Best Dad Award" i'd vote for him. |
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This was a gorgeously beutiful story. The story of a devotion and love that we should all seek to strive for. When you read something like this, you think it's loving and all but no real life person would really go through all that. BUT, when you see the video that goes with the story, there's a whole new feeling inside of you. Your heart is touched and you feel the hand of God on your shoulder and whispering in your ear that selfless humility is what we should strive to be. He truly loves his son and his son has as kind and big a heart as his father. He says he wishes his dad could sit in the chair just once so he could push him. You feel disgusting and disgraceful to God for being lazy and ungrateful for all the blessings that you don't acknowledge from day to day. God bless them both! |
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Thank you for such a beautiful story of love and sacrifice. |
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This man is my new Hero! What an unselfish display of love and caring. To endure the rigors of such physicall pain and mental strain. Only proves that the Heart and Soul are the strenght of the human life. For no man is an Island and stands alone. We all touch those around us. I hope I can only remember that each and every day. |
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TO PUT IT SIMPLY IN ONE WORD: L O V E GOD BLESS this wonderful father. |
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A great story about the precious gift call life which is sometimes taken for granted.An awesome story. |
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The first time I saw this video, I was on a Men's Retreat dealing with Accountability. There were about fifty men there and not a dry eye amongst them. It still brings tears to my eyes to see how much this father loves his son. It's just a reminder how much God loves us! We may not be handicapped but we do break His heart and He still picks us up and carries us at times. I know that Rick will get his wish to push his dad in a chair when he gets to Heaven. He will no longer have the body he has had since birth but a new one. May God Bless Dick for his love and the example he has set for others. Rich Hobbs, Colorado Springs |
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:(
:(
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