Richie Parker
“Nothing’s Impossible”
Most people, I’m sure unconsciously take for granted the simple day to day things in life. For instance; catching a baseball during a game of summer catch, twisting the top off of your favorite bottle of soda, popping a wheelie on your bicycle, or merely tying your shoe is a small list of things we all could do without thinking. However someone like Richie Parker has devoted his life to overcoming these simple no brain obstacles among others in order to live a normal successful life. Richie Parker is an engineer for Hendrick Motorsports which is one of NASCAR’s leading organizations. Richie is a well-respected and talented engineer of the object he loves the most, automobiles, fast ones. Richie, I can imagine starts his day off like the average person. Wakes up, takes the daily shower, gets dressed for the day, has some breakfast, then eventually hops in his car and takes off to work. There is one small detail that I forgot to mention. Unlike the average person Richie does all of this with no arms. Yes I said no arms. Richie was born in May of 1983 in Beaufort, South Carolina. While he was a bouncing healthy baby boy, his parents had an unexpected finding. Richie was born with Bilateral Amelia, a non-genetic birth defect in which limbs are not formed. And unfortunately for Richie both of his arms were the limbs unaccounted for. My choice of words should be revised because this man is anything but unfortunate. He grew up listening to the crude remarks of surrounding adults and indecisive physicians telling him what he wouldn’t be able to do in life as a result of his handicap. But Richie was stubborn and would not listen. As an adult now Richie has inventively mastered such tasks as riding a bike, taking food out of the fridge and microwaving it on his own and driving a car using his feet to start the ignition and his knees to steer. In his career Richie has found a way, using the keyboard and mouse on the floor, then operating both
Most people, I’m sure unconsciously take for granted the simple day to day things in life. For instance; catching a baseball during a game of summer catch, twisting the top off of your favorite bottle of soda, popping a wheelie on your bicycle, or merely tying your shoe is a small list of things we all could do without thinking. However someone like Richie Parker has devoted his life to overcoming these simple no brain obstacles among others in order to live a normal successful life. Richie Parker is an engineer for Hendrick Motorsports which is one of NASCAR’s leading organizations. Richie is a well-respected and talented engineer of the object he loves the most, automobiles, fast ones. Richie, I can imagine starts his day off like the average person. Wakes up, takes the daily shower, gets dressed for the day, has some breakfast, then eventually hops in his car and takes off to work. There is one small detail that I forgot to mention. Unlike the average person Richie does all of this with no arms. Yes I said no arms. Richie was born in May of 1983 in Beaufort, South Carolina. While he was a bouncing healthy baby boy, his parents had an unexpected finding. Richie was born with Bilateral Amelia, a non-genetic birth defect in which limbs are not formed. And unfortunately for Richie both of his arms were the limbs unaccounted for. My choice of words should be revised because this man is anything but unfortunate. He grew up listening to the crude remarks of surrounding adults and indecisive physicians telling him what he wouldn’t be able to do in life as a result of his handicap. But Richie was stubborn and would not listen. As an adult now Richie has inventively mastered such tasks as riding a bike, taking food out of the fridge and microwaving it on his own and driving a car using his feet to start the ignition and his knees to steer. In his career Richie has found a way, using the keyboard and mouse on the floor, then operating both