Didn't someone say they wanted a story that made them feel good? Well, here you go

http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/2241844,CST-NWS-toby06.article

The legend of Toby: one class at a time for 13 years

May 6, 2010

BY KARA SPAK Staff Reporter

Toby Williams knows what people think when they see him in his wheelchair, hear his slow speech, notice how his eyes don't move together.

"It's there, it's always there, it will continue to be there," he said of assumptions that he is less capable because he has cerebral palsy. "I expect it."

But he doesn't accept it.

"I enjoy proving people wrong," he said.

On Saturday, the 30-year-old Englewood man once again will prove himself when he accepts a master's degree in communications, media and theater from Northeastern Illinois University. He has been enrolled as a student there for 13 years.

"I enjoyed meeting the challenge," he said. "It might take me a couple of years, but eventually I'll beat the challenge."

Cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder that manifests in infancy or early childhood. His brain is unable to control his muscles.

It made me think about another Cerebral Palsy story.

I still get choked up every time I see "Team Hoyt" in action.

From Wiki:

Rick Hoyt was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth after his umbilical cord became twisted around his neck, which caused the blockage of oxygen flow.<2> As a result, his brain is unable to send the correct messages to his muscles.<3> Many doctors encouraged the Hoyts to institutionalize Rick, informing them that he would be nothing more than a "vegetable."<3> His parents held on to the fact that Rick’s eyes would follow them around the room, giving them hope that he would somehow be able to communicate someday.<3> The Hoyts took Rick every week to Children’s Hospital in Boston, where they met a doctor who encouraged the Hoyts to treat Rick like any other chlld. Rick's mother Judy spent hours each day teaching Rick the alphabet with sandpaper letters and posting signs on every object in the house. In a short amount of time, Rick learned the alphabet.<2>

At the age of 11, after some persistence from his parents, Rick was fitted with a computer that enabled him to communicate and it became clear that Rick was intelligent.<4> With this communication device, Rick was also able to attend public school for the first time.<5>

Rick went on to graduate from Boston University in 1993 with a degree in special education and later worked at Boston College in a computer lab helping to develop systems to aid in communication and other tasks for disabled people.



If there is anyone who hasn't heard of this remarkable father/son team, please take a few minutes to learn about them. Their story is so inspirational that anything that I could say about them would not do them justice. Link to their website.
http://www.teamhoyt.com/

Toby Williams is such a great inspiration.

He's 17 and although he's overcome so much, at times it gets him down and this may be an encouragement to him.