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What Team Hoyt Does for Love

Usually, the forwarded emails from friends are jokes, but today I got a link to a video and a story that is so remarkable I know you'll want to see it too. It's about Dick and Rick Hoyt, the father and son team from Massachussetts who compete, just about continuously, in marathons and trialathalons. Dick is 65 and Rick is 43. The story becomes downright amazing when you consider that -- althought the word can't is certainly not in his vocabulary - Rick is unable to walk or talk.

Doctors, many of whom are no longer alive, recommended that the Hoyts institutionalize Rick when he was born after being strangled by his umbilical chord. No way, his parents said.

In between marathons, Rick graduated from Boston University in 1993 with a degree in sepcial education. He now works at Boston College’s computer laboratory helping to develop a system codenamed "Eagle Eyes," through which mechanical aids (like for instance a powered wheelchair) could be controlled by a paralyzed person’s eye-movements, when linked-up to a computer.

Categories: Commentary

BL Ochman | Sep 14 06 1:26 | TrackBack (0)

Comments

BL - this is truly an amazing team. Living in New England, the Hoyts are a tradition around here. You do not leave the Boston Marathon course until they come by every year. It's just not done. Everyone loves to see them. They were just in Falmouth for the road race this past August, too. Incredible. And nice, nice folks, too.

Posted by: Donna Tocci at September 14, 2006 4:51 PM

They were new to me and they blew me away. Remarkable!

Posted by: B.L. Ochman at September 14, 2006 8:04 PM

Yes! B.L , I saw this vid a few weeks ago and also talked to another friend of mine, a Boston Marathon-er who has met the Hoyt's too.

It is absolutely a most remarkable story, and overwhelming video depiction. Father and Son. Family. Love. It has all the ingredients for a feel-good, REAL life role model.

Posted by: Bob Van Leeuwen at September 15, 2006 1:32 PM

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About BL Ochman

Blogger, social media strategy consultant to Fortune 500 companies, and sought-after corporate speaker B.L. Ochman heads the creative team of whatsnextonline.com. She also publishes the Ethics Crisis blog for SRF Global Translations

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