Last week, I kept seeing headlines in my Google Reader about a video of an eleven year old boy, Matt, with cerebral palsy running the 400 meters at his school’s field day. It was covered by MSNBC, Fox News, the Washington Post – even the UK’s Daily Mail – and many others. I initially shunned the idea that such a story was newsworthy – field day is a once-a-year occurrence and doesn’t involve a team or even regular practices. The video had gone viral, but was it really THAT big of deal?
Sarah Kate completed a 200 meter race at age five and a one-mile fun run two years ago at the age of seven, and I wondered if she would have gone viral, too, if there had been video of those events. Yes, I was proud of her. Yes, it was an accomplishment. Yes, Matt probably was inspiring to the people there to see him finish. But I prickled at the idea that it was major-outlet-newsworthy.
Until I watched the video.
If you haven’t watched it yet, take five minutes to do so. If you can’t spare five minutes, then skip ahead to about the 2:30 mark.
Predictably, Matt falls far behind his classmates quickly, and he struggles throughout the event, though it is notable that he never appears to consider stopping or quitting. My sense of the situation, which differs from the headlines of some news outlets, is that Matt would have finished the race on his own, whether his classmates were watching or not.
Sarah Kate shares the determination and drive that Matt demonstrated in his race. Yes, her foot races and swim meets and softball games are a challenge, but I never doubt that she’ll Finish Strong (link). That’s just how she is, and I suspect Matt is the same way. His decision to run the race is admirable and shows his determination (some of his able-bodied classmates opted out, by the way). But that’s not what impressed me about the video. Matt is merely the vehicle for the story.
The real story is about his classmates.
It is often said that, “All conflict in literature is, in its simplest form, a struggle between good and evil.” I don’t claim to be an expert in literature, but this same sentiment can be applied to movies and television, as well – Don Draper battles his inner demons, Shrek reluctantly faces off against the Fairy Godmother, and Woody, Buzz, and the gang escape Lotso’s clutches. Good struggling against evil.
But why is that?
Because it’s real life. Whether a struggle is due to a physical disability, abject poverty, a broken marriage, or something as mundane as getting a healthy dinner on the table for our family, we all want to Do Better. Achieve More. Excel at Something. When we see someone like Matt struggle and overcome, it encourages us. Believing in someone else helps us to believe in ourselves in some small way.
Matt’s classmates couldn’t help themselves.
At the beginning of the race, none of them paid much attention – he was slow, but doing fine, and they were doing their own thing. But as the race wore on, they began to take notice. First one, then a few more, until a crowd of dozens had formed. They watched him continue to press on, despite his difficulties. They wanted to help him, but they instinctively knew that it was his race to run. At first, they yelled individual encouragement, but within seconds were chanting in unison (“Let’s go, Matt! Let’s go!” ~clap clap~) – an organic effort that sprung from a wellspring of anticipation.
They were watching Matt’s spirit triumph over the limitations of his body.
Another thing I noticed about the video is that though the kids dropped what they were doing to come and give encouragement to Matt, they didn’t help him and they didn’t lead him. None of the kids offered him a hand. No one grabbed him by the elbow or shoulder to help steady himself. They didn’t run ahead of him to wait at the finish line. They stayed back, waiting and watching while he did it on his own, and they celebrated with cheers of pure, unadulterated joy when he triumphed in the end.
I wonder how having Matt in their lives will impact these kids as they grow into adults. Will they try harder, push farther, and do more? Will Matt’s ever-evolving personal story encourage them for the long term?
Love this post Andi, I am sharing it!
Yep. I agree with you. Matt would have finished with or without his classmates. The story is as much about the rest of the kids as about Matt. In a world where everyone wants to believe that kids have no compassion, that kids don’t care about anyone but themselves, there is a plethora of proof like this to the contrary. It just often doesn’t happen on video or get reported about in the news.
There’s a 5k locally called “Run because you can” in honor of a little boy with severe cerebral palsy who couldn’t walk or run. As I’m starting my own journey into running, I keep remembering that phrase. Run because you can. Now I have a video to keep me motivated too. This is a great video, as if I needed one more reason to cry today. 😉
I have a RoadID for running – it’s for identification purposes in case (God forbid!) something ever happened to me while I was out running. The bottom line I had printed underneath my name and contact information says “I Run Because I Can.”
I love it too! Very well said.
Loved this – thanks for the tip! I have a 4 year old son with CP amongst my crew. Can’t wait for the day, which I believe is coming, that he can walk!