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Marines help ill boy to complete race

by Jonn Lilyea••23

Yeah, if you can make it through this story without welling up, you’re a stronger person than I;

The boy was 11-year-old Ben Baltz of Valparaiso, Florida. At six years old, Ben was diagnosed with bone cancer in his right leg and had his fibula and tibia removed. He walks with a mechanical knee and prosthetic walking leg, which he switches out for a running leg to play sports (including soccer, baseball and children’s triathlons). On Sunday, Ben completed the 150-yard swim and 4-mile bike ride and half the one-mile run when a screw came loose and his running leg broke in half.

His mom was standing at the finish line, wondering what happened. ‘It was only a mile, I knew he was tired, I was like, ‘Where is he, where is he, where is he,’ his mother, Kim Baltz, told CNN iReport. ‘All of a sudden the announcer just said, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I want you to turn around and look at what’s happening on the course’ … Everybody was crying. It was just very touching that the Marines were there. They picked him up and everybody was cheering and just giving them support and Ben support.’

The Marine who carried Ben is Matthew Morgan, Private First Class at Marine Detachment Corry Station, a training command in Pensacola…”he picked that young boy up quick, threw him on his back and ran the rest of the course … We’re pumped.”

Thanks to TSO for the link. I think.

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23 thoughts on “Marines help ill boy to complete race”

  1. Great story … HooYah Marine Corps. And for the little man Ben Baltz … never be embarrassed to have a Marine come along and help out. I suspect the Marine would have carried you 26.2 miles if you needed the help. And if he couldn’t there would have been another Marine standing by.

    Now … I am not crying … I am allergic to onions!

  3. This makes up for all the posers and fakers and wannabes.

    Thanks for posting that, Jonn!!

  7. When you can’t run, you crawl, and when you can’t crawl – when you can’t do that…

    …You find someone to carry you.

    –Firefly

    ——————————————————————————–

  10. Note the rest of the article: The kid did a 150 yard swim and a 4 mile bike ride before his leg gave out.

  16. @ JC Baltz – Make sure Ben knows that mechanical things will sometimes let you down, but, his strong spirit will not. He is an inspiration to all! And if asked, I would bet that Marine was honored more by carrying such a strong young man than anything he has done in life.
    There is a book called “Tylers Mountain Magic” about a young man with CF written by Malcolm Ater, his wrestling coach. Pick a copy up and think about writing Ben’s story.

  17. I broke my rule about reading these sorts of stories at work, so I failed Jonn’s opening sentence.

    It’s depressingly rare to see this type of story to begin with, especially accompanied by the comments following……so thank you for posting this.

  19. #17/18, I agree. I had to duck down behind my computer screen so nobody would see my eyes watering…..ahem from my alergies.

  21. Never ceases to amaze me as I get older what makes my eyes water….nicely done Marine!!

    @18 That’s why I like the Apple 27″ Studio display, lots of room to hide your eyes…

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