Sunday, April 26, 2009

Inspired

Imagine what you CAN do when you are inspired!!
Please read the following article and watch the video clip.

[From Sports Illustrated, By Rick Reilly]
I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay For their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.
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.''


7 comments:

  1. That is a great story. I think it shows to what lengths parents will go for their children. I know, without a doubt, that I would do whatever it takes to care and protect my children---even if it meant dying for them. As teachers we need reminders, like this story, that most parents feel like that, too. Stories like this remind me to focus on not only what I want to say to parents and students but also on how I want to say it. If Rick's parents had listened to the doctors think what an awful life they would have all had. That is why it is also important to focus upon what students can do and to never give up on them. As educators it is inspiring stories such as this that we need to read again and again.

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  2. I'm a very pragmatic type person. For every Dick Hoyt story, there are probably several stories where parents/students/co-workers have fought the good fight and not had very good results.

    One of my co-workers had a son. Before his son turned age one it was determined that his son was may be autistic. As his son grew older it became very apparent that his son was severely autistic. Most week-ends my co-worker would bring his son over to my home because I had kids who were about the same age and his son would then have some other children to interact with. Several years later my co-worker had a second son who was born completely normal. My co-worker spent all of his time talking about his autistic son and rarely mentioned his other son.

    As his autistic son grew older his son was provided with a communicator. My co-worker guided his sons fingers on the communicator and from my co-workers point of view his son was communicating. My co-worker frequently bragged about the progress his autistic son was making. (Rarely mentioned his other son; I'm sure many of his/our co-workers never even knew he had a second son.)

    It never appeared to me that his autistic son ever actually communicated; my opinion was/is that my co-worker was unconsciously guiding his son's hand across the communicator and that my co-worker was seeing what he wanted to see.

    The school district provided a full time aide for his son and his son made it through pre-school, grade school, and high school. As his son grew older, his son also grew much bigger. The bigger he got, the more difficult it was to control his behavior. His son started hitting other students & staff; other parents no longer were willing to have his son play with their children; many staff refused to work with him also. By the time his son finished high school, his son was over 6 feet tall and weighed about 220#. (my perception is that the school district was happy to award his son a high school diploma, because then they no longer had to provide him with SPED services?)

    His son never learned how to use the bathroom, dress himself, carry on a conversation, or much of anything else. He could repeat a string of two or three words, but I'm not sure his son ever connected the words with people or objects. About the time my co-worker's son finished high school it also became apparent that neither my co-worker nor his wife was able to control his son's agressive behavior; my co-worker's wife frequently had to lock herself in the bathroom and use the telephone to call my co-worker for help because their son was attempting to hurt her. (she was too terrified to come out of the bathroom when their son was acting out)

    Within 6 months of his son's completion of high school my co-worker and his wife came to the realization that they could no longer care for their older son and that it was not safe for other people to be around their son. They tried a couple of group homes and shelter care workshop, their son was too agressive--injuring a number of people. The only option left was to place their son at the Wisconsin Resource Center.

    My co-workers normal son understood why his parents spent the majority of their time with his autistic brother. That said, the normal son still ended up needing a lot of heavy duty psychological counseling. (Most of us have a difficult time dealing with neglect even when we understand why it is taking place.) All of the families' resources were exhausted on the autistic son, very little time and resources were left for the other son. I reminded my co-worker many times that he needed to spend more time and resources on his second son. End result over the next 18 months my co-worker felt guilty about having to place his autistic son at the resource center and also felt guilty about the problems his younger son was having. There was also a lot of stress between my co-worker and his wife. They were both having a difficult time dealing with things and both of them ended up in counseling.

    A couple of months later my close friend and co-worker had a heart attack and died. He did not live long enough to see his oldest son reach his 21st birthday, nor see his younger son graduate from high school. No happy ending. If I can find a moral/value/something to take away from this: it is that we do what we can, as hard as we can, for as long as we can; but don't ever lose sight of the big picture. We sometimes become obsessed with one thing, one goal---and then miss out on everything else.

    No humor, but I think an important lesson.

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  3. It is rather coincidental that I read this article the same day I received a new book for the library, Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed. It tells of the chain reaction that occurs from an ordinary girl’s act of picking blueberries for her neighbor.
    The Hoyts have an extraordinary story. I’m certain that it will surpass anything that I’ll ever do in terms of monumentality. But, it began as just a small step, a belief actually. The accomplishments built upon that. If everyone could do just one unselfish act a day, image how much happier we all could be.

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  4. What an amazing story! I think it shows that intuition or “gut feelings” can be just as important as formal assessments in determining a child’s abilities and needs. The story also reminds me that as a teacher, I need to encourage parents to share their wisdom and knowledge about their children. Over the years, I have gotten many valuable insights from parents that have helped me in teaching their children. Most parents are devoted to their children and do want what’s best for them even if it involves sacrifices. I try to remember that all of us, parents and teachers, are doing the best that we can with the resources we have. This story also reminds me that children can inspire us to do things that we otherwise might not be able to do. Their enthusiasm for life can give us hope and help us to see the future as a “glass that’s half full.”

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  5. What a wonderful story of a man's love and devotion to his child! As a mother, I know there is no love that is more powerful than a parent's love for his or her child. Since my children have started school and I have become the parent rather than just the teacher, I have a whole new perspective. Although, we need to discuss areas of concern, it is equally important to celebrate each child's successes. Both parents and teachers need to be an advocate for the child. We need to make sure that he or she receives as much help as possible so that they can be successful. No one should be told they can't. They should be encourage to keep trying even when things seem hopeless. This article was a reminder that we shouldn't give up on any child, no matter what obstacles they may have to overcome. As teachers, it is our job to believe in our students even when they don't believe in themselves. We have to find a way to reach them and help them reach their potential!

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  6. A wonderful story and video of dedication! Like these parents, we, as educators, need to stand up and believe in our students. Just as much as Dick was an influence on Rick, Rick had an impact on his father too. You may never know when your students may impact you just as much as you have them. Sometimes it is the little things that make such a huge difference!

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  7. This is true dedication to your child. What Dick has done for his son shows his love. It seems when we help others, we are usually helped even more ourselves, as is the case here. As a mom, I know I would give my life for any of my children, and now grandchildren.

    I hope I am helping my students to develop the kind of character that encourages a spirit of sacrifice as well. We never know what direction our lives will take, but we can know the joy of giving to others.

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