Father-Daughter Duo Break Barriers
SEVEN HILLS, OHIO — Dan Boyle and 15-year-old daughter Courteney are on a roll.
With more than 100 miles of races under his feet and her wheels, they set their sights on the Disney Princess Glass Slipper Challenge.
But Disney said no pushing wheelchairs allowed. “That caught me by surprise actually,” said Boyle.
So he contacted the U.S. Track and Field Federation and asked them to reconsider. “We got a phone call out of the blue. It was the director of the event himself, who said we would like you to come down and take part,” said Boyle.
Christine Boyle smiles, like sunshine personified, when she says, “I think every kid deserves a family and one-on-one care. When you have kids with challenges, you really don’t take much for granted and that’s a really awesome way to live life.”
To that end, Princess Courteney will be sporting a helmet Dan bought her with a tiara built right in. They’ll be in Florida in February.
It’s because her prince of a dad saw the possible and pushed for change for the princess he’s pushed more than 100 miles.
“We got Disney to say yes to something and now we call Courteney a trail blazer,” said Dan.
Then there is this important detail. This dynamic duo will be “Running for Rina” in Disney.
Rina has the same type of disability that Courteney does in that she can’t walk or talk.
The Boyles will used money raised from crowdfund for Rina to continue sending medicine and food and a wheelchair to Rina who is another child in El Salvador. They met Rina while they were on a mission with their church.
“She was just left in a one room floor on a bed covered in her own waste, so we we really started thinking there’s got to be something more we can do,” said Dan.
Of course they did. They’re the Boyles. With 2 kids with disabilities, they also support yet a third in El Salvador.
“Now she’s upright, smiling, happy, laughing and we get videos every other day on how she is doing,” said Dan.
“It’s an amazing testimony of what God has done in our lives and what God continues to do in their lives,” said Christine.
Because Dan and Courteney paved the way, when they run 20 miles in 2 days in the Disney Princess Challenge, there are currently three more wheelchair pairs who’ve signed up.
They’re half way there. Donate here.
Source: WKYC