If there was an award for the best father in the world, the American Dick Hoyt would definitely receive it. In 1962, a son was born in the Hoyt family, named Rick. After a while, the baby was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. This news literally killed his parents – back then nobody knew much about this disease, and the child had only one fate – placement in the special institution for people with a vegetative state for the rest of his life.

Rick’s limbs did not work, he only could move his head. When the boy got older, Judy, his mother hung pieces of paper with the inscriptions “wardrobe”, “door”, “wall” around the house and began teaching alphabet to Rick. In 1974, students from Tufts University of Massachusetts invented a special communication device for Rick. This device was interpreting the words that Rick was typing with his head on a special console with a keyboard. To pay for this device, Dick Hoyt had to work several jobs.

In 1977, Rick told his father that he wanted to participate in a charity run in honor of a paralyzed boy. Dick, who had never run, agreed – he loved his son so much that he was ready for anything to make him happy.

Pushing the bulky and clumsy chair with his son in front of him Dick ran 8.46 kilometers. It was very difficult for him – he rubbed his legs terribly, all his muscles ached, and they came to the finish line penultimate, but the audience applauded them as winners.

On their way home, the son told his father: “Dad, when I run, I feel that I am no longer disabled.”

Now Dick knew what to do next.

Since then, their lives have changed dramatically. The family began to build their sports career. Father and son soon  managed to run  as much as 10 and 22.5 and 42 kilometers. But they didn’t stop there. The brave “Team Hoyt” took part in the triathlon. Dick not only ran, he also rode a bicycle and swam with his son. The father tied himself with a rope and pulled the boat with his son. They were involved into survival competitions as well, known as Ironman. During this rout, one needs to swim 3.86 kilometers first, then ride a bike for 180.25 kilometers, and then run 42.195 kilometers. This marathon “Team Hoyt” overcame as many as six times!

In 2014, the team announced the end of their sports career. They have been into more than one and a half thousand races and triathlon competitions. The family is represented in the Ironman Hall of Fame and has a memorial in Boston. Rick later earned a degree in inclusive education. He even worked at Boston College, in a computer lab on devices that would allow people with disabilities to communicate and perform various tasks.

“If I had been offered to live my life differently, I would have refused without hesitation. I don’t regret even a second that I spent all this time with my son,” said Dick Hoyt.