If you have an obstacle in front of you today that seems too big to tackle, think again. :)
The caption on this photo read “With just a half mile to go, Pfc. Matthew Morgan put Ben Baltz on his back and completed the triathlon after Baltz’s prosthetic leg fell off. The Marine wanted to make sure the boy finished the race.”
Can I just tell you how much I love this story??
Ben Baltz is an 11-year old whose parents had to make the unimaginably difficult decision to amputate his right leg when he was just six years of age because Ben had bone cancer. Since then, his parents have encouraged him to be as active and athletic as possible, and Ben has their encouragement seriously. Ben was recently running in his third triathlon of the summer – the Sea Turtle Tri kids triathlon in Pensacola, Florida – when a screw came out of his prosthetic leg and he fell to the ground.
This triathlon involved swimming 150 yards, biking four miles, and running one mile. {I couldn’t do this!} Some Marines who were volunteering at the vent noticed when he went down and ran to him. When Ben realized he wasn’t going to be able to finish the race, Pfc. Matthew Morgan put Ben on his back and ran the remaining 1/2 mile, surrounded by many of the other Marines. Ben was able to finish the race!
In just eleven years, Ben has faced more challenges than some of us will in our lifetime. Can you imagine what it would be like to be just eleven years old and have an amputated leg? Instead of sitting at home, sulking and feeling sorry for himself, Ben gets out there and pushes himself to do more than some of us with two good legs can do.
Life isn’t fair. It’s hard, sometimes, it stinks, and sometimes there are obstacles in front of us that seem insurmountable. Sometimes, there are things we just can’t do on our own and we have to rely on others for assistance. I love it when life reminds me that, in spite of the difficulties we all face – and we all face our own incredible challenges – that God provides who or what we need when exactly we need it.
Have a great week!!
♥ Rachel
Great story and thanks for sharing! Truly heartwarming! I wish I had read this at the end of the day, though. (Now I have to go re-apply my mascara.)
Girl – fortunately, I read it over the weekend when makeup was not an issue. I just love the part of human nature that would send that man over, pick him up and carry him across the finish line. There is so much goodness all around us, yet we tend to focus on the bad. Here’s to seeing the goodness today!
Great story! Reminds me of the song “He ain’t heavy, he is my brother”
It sure does!!
It gave me chills. What a great story! SOOO many lessons in that one.
It made my eyes tear up. First, with his parents having to make that horribly tough decision. Then, him learning to live – and thrive – with a prosthetic leg. Then the leg breaking during the triathlon and the guy coming to his aid and carrying him to the finish line. So much to love and to live up to.