For your gracious care and service towards your fellow
man by sharing your strength, ability, and unselfish
attitude, I, John Lewis, mayor of the town of Gilbert, wish
to give you this award.
Spencer, he didn't ask for any of this when he said, "I want
to do a triathlon with Dayton." He didn't want any of
this attention, but he did it because he likes Dayton.
I met Dayton in our Deacon's Quorum day at church.
When I got called the Deacon's Quorum president, I felt a
great sense of responsibility on my shoulders, that I should
be watching out for everybody in the Quorum.
Dayton has cerebral palsy, and he can't talk to or
communicate that well, but you can feel the
Spirit wherever he is.
He's a great friend to me.
He should have the opportunity to do what
everybody else does.
We've always tried to include him in everything that we do.
Along the way, we found out that he just loves
the wind in his face.
Spencer knelt down right in front of Dayton and grabbed
him on his knees, and he said, "Dayton, would like to do a
triathlon with me?" Dayton doesn't communicate, other
than he'll blink for yes, and he won't blink for no.
And he started blinking.
And he said, "Dad, he said, 'yes.'"
It was a different experience than other triathlons I've
done because, when I got on that bike, it felt harder
pulling someone else with me the entire way.
I knew that Dayton was within five feet of
me the whole time.
And it was awesome to know that there someone else there,
one of my really good friends that could be with me.
I've learned great lessons of love in a boy that does what
Christ would do if he were here, and fulfilling his
responsibility as a Deacon's Quorum president, as a friend.
Near finish line was very spiritual for Dayton and I
because I felt that I was out of juice, I was out of energy.
But then I don't even know where it came from.
Dayton start smiling, and I started to speed up, and I had
the energy to sprint the last few hundred yards into the
finish line, and I just felt great at the finish line.
I didn't feel like I was drained of my energy.
I felt that the Spirit was there, helping Dayton and I to
finish that race.
He doesn't want to look like the hero, at all.
He wants Dayton to look like the hero, and he's just
Dayton's legs.