Devoted: The Story of a Father's Love for His Son by Dick Hoyt with Don Yaeger.
Synopsis:
The remarkable story of a father’s devotion to his wheelchair-bound son and
how their bond inspired millions of people worldwide.
Born a spastic
quadraplegic, Rick Hoyt was written off by numerous doctors. They advised his
parents, Dick and Judy, to put their firstborn son in an institution. But Rick’s
parents refused. Determined to give their son every opportunity that “normal”
kids had, they made sure to include Rick in everything they did, especially with
their other two sons, Rob and Russ.
But home was one thing, the world at
large, another. Repeatedly rebuffed by school administrators who resisted their
attempts to enroll Rick in school, Rick’s mother worked tirelessly to help pass
a landmark bill, Chapter 766, the first special-education reform law in the
country. As a result, Rick and other physically disabled kids were able to
attend public school in Massachusetts.
But how would Rick communicate
when he couldn’t talk? To overcome this daunting obstacle, Dick and Judy worked
with Dr. William Crochetiere, then chairman of the engineering department at
Tufts University, and several enterprising graduate students, including Rick
Foulds, to create the Tufts Interactive Communication device (TCI). In the Hoyt
household, it became known as the “Hope machine,” as it enabled Rick to create
sentences by pressing his head against a metal bar. For the first time ever,
Rick was able to communicate.
Then one day Rick asked his dad to enter a
charity race, but there was a twist. Rick wanted to run too. Dick had never run
a race before, but more challenging still, he would have to push his son’s
wheelchair at the same time. But once again, the Hoyts were determined to
overcome whatever obstacle was put in their way.
Now, over one thousand
races later, including numerous marathons and triathlons, Dick Hoyt continues to
push Rick’s wheelchair. Affectionately known worldwide as Team Hoyt, they are as
devoted as ever, continuing to inspire millions and embodying their trademark
motto of “Yes, you can.”
I enjoyed this book a lot more then I thought I would. I ended up buying the book as it was not available at the library and the print price was very close to the Kobo price. I look forward to sharing it with my coworkers for a read!
What is something that you thought you weren't capable of doing, but then proved yourself wrong?
I think the best example of this would be running a half marathon and since then, continually beating my time!
Dick Hoyt was asked if he ever would have run a race without Rick, and he said no even though he probably would have run the races faster. Would you have done the same, why or why not?
I can see why Dick would feel this way. He started running to spend time with his son, not for any personal gain other then just being with his son and making him happy.
