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Team Hoyt

by Graham

The Hoyts on Christmas (http://www.teamhoyt.com/gallery/index.html (Family photo))
The Hoyts on Christmas (http://www.teamhoyt.com/gallery/index.html (Family photo))

My heroes are Team Hoyt.  How the team started was when the Hoyt's son, Rick was born.  At birth Rick was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.  For many years the Hoyts tried to get Rick to school but had not succeeded. In 1972 a group of Tufts engineers built an interactive computer for Rick to speak through. The computer worked by a group of letters being highlighted by a cursor. Once highlighted Rick would select the words and with the tap of his head the words would be spoken. His first words were in fact "Go Bruins!" Then two years later Rick was accepted into school.  After his school years, Rick wanted to participate in a run to help benefit a newly paralyzed lacrosse player, his father, Dick, agreed.  Through this beginning the team demonstrated, courage, compassion, and showed how they never give up.

The father decided to push his son in the race. It was a very courageous decision especially because the father had never run before. By the end of the race they came in close to last place. That same night Rick said when he was in the race he did not feel paralyzed anymore. I admire them for that because even if they did not realize it, they had broken a barrier by racing, having someone who was paralyzed actually in the run itself and knowing  they did not care if they would win they just wanted to be part of it.  In the end, the family helped Rick reach his goals and prove he can do most things just like a regular person even if he is paralyzed.  This proves the team is brave and strong.

Back before Rick went to school, the Hoyts taught their son the alphabet with the hope of getting him into school.  This helped Rick communicate in the future. This is a sign that they care. Another sign is what the father is running for in general; he is not running for himself but for his son. He knows his son is happy when they run. In every race the father would take the son, be it running, swimming, or biking, Rick would join. The father cares for his son.

The father never gives up, he runs even if he is 71, just to make a difference and help his son. The family also never gives up because they kept trying to get their son in school even if people said they couldn't, but they did and he is now able to live a normal life because of it.  They never gave up on their son by teaching him to speak, helping him go to school or racing in general.

Team Hoyt are my heroes not just because they race, but because they are going past what was thought that paralyzed people were able to do but they were brave to prove it wrong. Normally people with disabilities would be thought of as incapable of doing many things but, with some help from his father's care, the son is able to do anything. This group isn't the only ones who have overcome the disability of being paralyzed; there are many others and, they all never give up. In the words of Team Hoyt "Yes, you can."

Page created on 5/24/2012 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 5/24/2012 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.