All father’s love their children. But there are times where the love between father and son or father and daughter is felt strongly by all around them. These five fathers went above and beyond the call of duty to show what being a father really means.
Dick Hoyt Races for His Son
When Dick’s son, Richard was born with severe brain damage, the doctors basically told the family that there was no chance of him being able to live a normal life. Over fifty years later, Rick has graduated from Boston University, lives on his own, and is an accomplished athlete. When he was in middle school he wanted to enter into a charity race to help raise money for a recently paralyzed student at his school even though Dick himself was confined to a wheelchair. His father, who had never run before, pushed him instead. A lifetime later and the father / son team have competed in over 1,000 races together including many marathons, triathlons, and more.
Mike Mika – Hacked a Classic Video Game
Mike was undoubtedly thrilled when his daughter showed an interest in his old video games. What father wouldn’t be? She loved Donkey Kong but was bummed out that the player could only play AS Mario. So Mike hacked the game and rewrote the code so that Mario was in distress and Pauline had to save him. It’s not every father who hacks a nearly thirty-year old game in order to teach his daughter that girls too get to play the hero.
Jim Redmond – Carried his Son the Rest of the Way
In the 1992 Olympics, Derek Redmond was at the top of his game, having won gold medals in the 4x400 meter relay at the World Championships, European Games, and Commonwealth Games. Everything was going well in the semi-final round in Barcelona when Derek tore his hamstring about 250 meters from the finish line and fell to the ground. His father, Jim, pushed past security and raced onto the field. With Derek determined to finish the race, he leaned on his father’s shoulder for support and they crossed the finish line together.
Frank McKinney – A Walk To Remember
Frank McKinney walked his daughter, Laura, to school every day for 10 years. Every day. For ten years. They walked in the aftermath of hurricanes, they rowed a boat across a river when the bridge they used was under repair. In 10 years they racked up over 1,000 miles’ worth of walks, collected many things along the way, and made some terrific memories. “I learned something from him every day,” Laura said.
David Herron – Seamless Love
When Mariah Herron wanted a camouflage prom dress, she naturally turned to her military father, David. Since the market for camo prom dresses is apparently pretty slim, and David had learned to sew in the military, he set out to make her one. After two months of training, trial, and error, he was able to make the dress she wanted. By all accounts she was thrilled and has even asked him to make her a wedding dress too!
Shaun Glace
The 43-year-old plumber from England had a lot on his plate already when his girlfriend was diagnosed with a near fatal blood clot in her chest. In and out of the hospital and bedridden for over a year, Shaun asked her son, Tom, for permission first and proposed to Claire a few months after her diagnosis. He immediately took over caring for her and their children all while juggling a full-time job.
Dick Hoyt Races for His Son
When Dick’s son, Richard was born with severe brain damage, the doctors basically told the family that there was no chance of him being able to live a normal life. Over fifty years later, Rick has graduated from Boston University, lives on his own, and is an accomplished athlete. When he was in middle school he wanted to enter into a charity race to help raise money for a recently paralyzed student at his school even though Dick himself was confined to a wheelchair. His father, who had never run before, pushed him instead. A lifetime later and the father / son team have competed in over 1,000 races together including many marathons, triathlons, and more.
Mike Mika – Hacked a Classic Video Game
Mike was undoubtedly thrilled when his daughter showed an interest in his old video games. What father wouldn’t be? She loved Donkey Kong but was bummed out that the player could only play AS Mario. So Mike hacked the game and rewrote the code so that Mario was in distress and Pauline had to save him. It’s not every father who hacks a nearly thirty-year old game in order to teach his daughter that girls too get to play the hero.
Jim Redmond – Carried his Son the Rest of the Way
In the 1992 Olympics, Derek Redmond was at the top of his game, having won gold medals in the 4x400 meter relay at the World Championships, European Games, and Commonwealth Games. Everything was going well in the semi-final round in Barcelona when Derek tore his hamstring about 250 meters from the finish line and fell to the ground. His father, Jim, pushed past security and raced onto the field. With Derek determined to finish the race, he leaned on his father’s shoulder for support and they crossed the finish line together.
Frank McKinney – A Walk To Remember
Frank McKinney walked his daughter, Laura, to school every day for 10 years. Every day. For ten years. They walked in the aftermath of hurricanes, they rowed a boat across a river when the bridge they used was under repair. In 10 years they racked up over 1,000 miles’ worth of walks, collected many things along the way, and made some terrific memories. “I learned something from him every day,” Laura said.
David Herron – Seamless Love
When Mariah Herron wanted a camouflage prom dress, she naturally turned to her military father, David. Since the market for camo prom dresses is apparently pretty slim, and David had learned to sew in the military, he set out to make her one. After two months of training, trial, and error, he was able to make the dress she wanted. By all accounts she was thrilled and has even asked him to make her a wedding dress too!
Shaun Glace
The 43-year-old plumber from England had a lot on his plate already when his girlfriend was diagnosed with a near fatal blood clot in her chest. In and out of the hospital and bedridden for over a year, Shaun asked her son, Tom, for permission first and proposed to Claire a few months after her diagnosis. He immediately took over caring for her and their children all while juggling a full-time job.
I’ve been structuring our family’s conversations for nearly a decade. For a while, I tended to focus the discussion on what everyone is grateful for. But in the last year or so I’ve been partial to those Table Topics, which are sold as “questions to start great conversations.” The questions can be much harder to answer, but in my experience, after all the groaning and eye-rolling dissipates, everyone starts to grab for the cards and we end up laughing and having a good time.