Apr 10, 2006 3:06 pm US/Eastern
Hoyts Spread Message About Disabilities
by Scott Wahle
(CBS4)
On Monday the gun goes off for the 2006 Boston Marathon, and this year marks a very special occasion. It will be the 25th time the father-son team of Dick and Rick Hoyt run the race. CBS4 is the only television news station following the Hoyts as they train for their historic run.
You've probably seen Team Hoyt on the Boston course with Dick pushing his severely disabled son the 26.2 miles, but what they do off the road is just as important. Even though the two Marathon heroes electrify the crowd every year on Patriot's day, they also have a year round mission.
"I'm going to talk to you a little about Rick and why he's in a wheelchair, and why he can't walk and why he can't talk," says Dick Hoyt, standing on the stage at Bedford High School. The Hoyts have come here to spread their message about people with disabilities, telling students the story of Rick's birth when his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. "That caused a lack of oxygen to Rick's brain which caused brain damage, which is cerebral palsy," Dick tells the high schoolers. Rick plays a speech he wrote on his computer. A synthesizer gives him a "voice." "My disability does not get in the way of things I like to do," says Rick. In a separate conversation Rick talked about the information he wants to get across saying, "I want the general public who think people with disabilities are poor, un-educatable and a waste of life, to hear my message and begin to learn to see that people with disabilities are just like themselves."
To prove the point, Dick told the students, "Rick's favorite spot on the marathon route is Wellesley College where all the girls are. He says if you're ever going to slow down to have some water, that's where you've got to do it." Dick adds, "It's helping people all over the world now because they're seeing that someone who is as disabled as Rick can be very productive and be out there living like everyone else."
The Bedford students were moved by what the Hoyts had to say. "I think it was very inspirational. It makes you think about what you can do in life," says Brittany Lee. Alex Bradford says, "He was able to overcome all the things that were holding him back." Katie Donellan adds, "I thought the presentation was amazing, that anyone with a goal can put their mind to it and accomplish anything." "We saw him every year at the Marathon, and now I kind of know who's behind the face," says Tom Colgan.
As the Hoyts prepare for their 25th Boston Marathon, their message comes across loud and clear, and soon, they'll let their bodies and their competitive spirits do the talking.
Rick and Dick Hoyt are dedicating their 25th Boston to raise money for Easter Seals, an organization that helps people with disabilities. If you would like more information about the Hoyts and how to support Easter Seals check out
TeamHoyt25.org. Of course, you can see all the Marathon excitement right here on CBS 4 News on April 17th.
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