How far would you push the limits of your physical ability for someone you love?
Rick van Beek was 35 and had been a smoker since the age of 12. By the time his two daughters were born he was smoking two packets a day and had little care for his own health and well-being.
But today, Rick is fit, he is healthy and he is a non-smoker and the reason for his transformation? His daughter, Maddy.
Maddy suffers from cerebral palsy.
That means her brain and nervous system don’t function the same way as the rest of us. The abnormalities in Maddy’s brain mean that she does not have control of her limbs and is unable to communicate basic needs and wants to the people who care for her.
Her father Rick – who could barely walk around the block without puffing when Maddy was a baby – now runs half marathons, triathlons and other outdoor races to raise money for charities that support cerebral palsy research.
In fact, Rick has just completed a triathlon where he carried, yes, carried, 13-year-old Maddy throughout the entire race. That means holding her afloat during the swim, pushing her in a cart during the cycle and carrying her during the run. Take a look:
Rick writes in his blog about what it’s like to compete with his daughter and how she has changed his outlook on life:
I am a Road Warrior, running and fighting for my daughter. I run for my daughter, Maddy, she has CP…
Every time we got to a new mile stone we would stop, I would check on Maddy and she was happy. I don’t know if she new this was here last run before a long break or not, but she sure sucked it up and made it all 5 miles.
The only tears I saw, besides my own, were when we were going back into the house. Even then it was a small whimper then off to sleep she went, IN HER CART, that doesn‘t normally happen. It was a GREAT day.
As a parent of a special child it is always a struggle to know if you are doing the right thing, because she can’t tell me how she is feeling. That run, I knew we were doing the right thing…
The enjoyment she has in the cart has changed all our lives. The last race we did I told her that if she could recover to run again, I would be better…
I need to have a reason to run in order to fulfill my promise to Maddy. We want to run the 5/3 25K together again this coming spring and feel this would be the best way to train for that. Running with her gives me power, a power more people should know.
Together Everyone Accomplishes More.
If you wish to, you can donate to the Cerebral Palsy Alliance (who provides direct services to more than 4000 children, teenagers and adults living with cerebral palsy in Australia) here.
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Top Comments
This reminds me of a story my mother told me.
Long before us kids were born and mum and dad were dating, my mother had heard about a child born with no arms and no legs and rejected by its parents. She asked him: "What would you do if you had a child with no arms and no legs?" To which he replied: "I would be its arms and legs".
It's clear this father sees his child in much the same way - I believe he said "She is my heart, and I am her legs".
Beautiful.
His daughter looks so happy in the race. :)