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8.17.2006

Spit in the Sea


traffic.
the out-of-service elevator.
a long check out line.
loud talkers at a restaurant.
a cell phone ringing at the movies.

reacting to such things seem so inconsequential when you think about
dick hoyt and his son, rick. rick was born with cerebral palsy. dick gives his son a chance to experience what it is like to not be handicapped. rick gives his father the unearthly drive to do so.

watch this VIDEO. (thanks to honeymoon carol)

this video moves me.
it hits from many directions.
the perseverance and commitment is incredible.
the determination, unfathomable.

i believe the sporting events were just the half of it.
the father was not just pushing him on a wheelchair,
he was pushing his son further than society expected.
the father was not just pulling him on his own dinghy,
he was establishing a semblance of independence for his son.
the task of teaching rick to communicate at a time when
dynavoxes were not yet available is a feat not to be taken lightly.

so there is that.
how about rick hoyts siblings? he had two younger brothers.
how affected were they from their brother's disability?
how well did they cope with their father's absence from their own lives?
even if they understood, how easy was that for them?
how about them?