What Handicap?
There once was a doctor in St Louis who met a young high school student
who had lost his hand from the wrist down.
The doctor remarked about the young man’s “handicap” The young man quickly responded, “I don’t have a handicap sir. I
just don’t have a right hand.”
This amazing young man was one of the leading scorers on his high
school football team.
What moxie. That means ‘determination’.
We all need that in our lives, don’t we?
Meet Chad Hymas. On April 2,
2001, Chad was living life at full speed.
He was a strong, robust young farmer/rancher, and he had a successful landscape
business. His life was in order. It was full and complete, with a lovely wife
and two great kids.
On April 3, 2001, a one-ton bale of hay fell on him, paralyzing him
from the chest down.
After something like this happens, you don’t run marathons, and you
don’t earn an income. Except for his
ability to talk, Chad had to re-learn all the other functional skills one needs
and uses every day of our lives, even down to dressing himself.
Was it frustrating?
Was it hard?
Did he experience discouraging moments?
Yes.
Yes!
Yes!
What did Chad do? As he regained
his mobility and strength and learned to care for himself, he sought a way to
be an encouragement and inspiration to others. His goal was to ride
a three-wheeled bicycle 513 miles. The previous
record for this feat was held by Art Berg, who pedaled his three-wheel bicycle 325
miles.
One fine July morning Chad left Salt Lake City for the 513-mile trek
straight to the strip in Las Vegas – on a three-wheeled bike.
The beginning of his trail was easy – maybe even fun. Friends lined the thoroughfare, the TV
cameras were out, and Chad could hear cheers and words of encouragement as he
pedaled along.
And then came the middle of his miles.
The crowds and cameras were gone.
Along came the heat of the day.
Along came the crickets. At one point
in this trek he encountered an infestation of Mormon crickets. He was low to the ground on his bike, and
they got into his cloths, his seat, and the crunch and smell of smashed
crickets was overpowering.
Yet Chad kept pedaling.
And then along came three ugly cousins - discouragement, despair, and fatigue. He wondered more than once if he had what it
took to finish the trip. Yes, he had a “handicap”,
but he had something else too.
He had determination.
He had moxie.
Chad made it to the end! After 513
grueling miles, Chad pedaled into Las Vegas to the cheers of his family, and
the hoots and hollers of the throngs of strangers who came from inside the
casinos to applaud as he rolled up The Strip.
They all cheered!
He wept.
But he was victorious because of this dominating thought …
“I
may be a quadriplegic,
but that doesn’t mean
I am disabled.”
Wow! What an inspiring story.
We all have some crutch we could use as a reason for ‘not’ doing
something significant with our lives.
But really, it’s just a crutch. What
can we tackle? What significance can we
bring to someone or some institution in our corner of this world?
I have no desire to ride a three-wheeled bike 513 miles, but I can write
words of hope, encouragement and inspiration that speak to people.
What can you do?
Can you bake a pie?
Can you visit an elderly care facility?
Can you write a note of encouragement?
Can you call a friend offering words that heal?
Can you do something that matters in this world?
Can you do something that adds value to someone, somewhere,
sometime?
You may have a crutch or an ailment, but is it really a disability?
Remember what Chad said …
“I
may be a quadriplegic,
but that doesn’t mean I am disabled.”
Words of inspiration for all of us.
P Michael Biggs
Offering
Hope
Encouragement
Inspiration
One
Word at a Time
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