Since bursting onto the national stage last week, 14-year-old Isaac Lufkin has inspired the country with inspiring determination to become a professional football player despite the fact that he was born without arms. Isaac made an appearance on last night’s Glenn Beck Program, and it became abundantly clear that Isaac has an incredible work ethic and outlook on life thanks in large part to his upbringing.
“We had him on TV last night. He was up at the Super Bowl as a guest of the NFL and he also was part of his championship team in Rhode Island, and he's a remarkable kid,” Glenn said on radio this morning. “I said, ‘So how do you deal with it?’ And he said, ‘It's really not that hard. I don't like pity.’ And he opened up a can of Coke himself. He turned on his computer… got on the floor and started typing with his feet. Quite an amazing scene.”
When Glenn pressed Isaac as to where his ‘can do’ attitude came from, he admitted that his mom always told him: “I can’t means I won’t.”
“I said to him, one of these days you are going to thank God for your mom because your mom is making you independent. Your mom is making you who you are today, and you may not appreciate it at 14,” Glenn said. “Then I just threw in, my mom passed away right around your age, and I didn't really appreciate it, I didn't appreciate her, until it was too late. And then I didn't really start seeing the wisdom of my parents until I was 30, maybe you will wake up a little earlier than that.”
As it turns out, Isaac is not the only member of the Lufkin family who is coping with hardship. Isaac’s mother, Lori, has been facing life-threatening medical issues of her own for years. Though she prefers not to discuss her own battles, Lori told Glenn last night that she has successfully battled cervical, uterine and ovarian cancer, in addition to non-Hodgkin lymphoma. But she’s now facing the challenge of her life.
Lori has known that she has congestive heart failure for about four years, but was told on Christmas Eve that her condition is rapidly worsening. Though Lori has previously undergone two open-heart surgeries, she is now in need of a heart transplant.
“The medication is not working anymore, and it’s basically at this point … the surgeon told me it’s, ‘Get a heart transplant or I’m going to have organ failure and die,’” Lori told TheBlaze in a phone interview. “I know how sick I am. They know how sick I am. That’s why I’ve forced them to be so independent.”
“This woman has known she's going to die early, and this is why she has told her son, ‘You have to do it on your own. I'm not going to be here to dress you, son. I'm not going to be here to open up the cans of soda for you, so you are going to have to do it on your own,’” Glenn concluded. “This is one incredible story and an incredible mother. I would ask today that you would pray for her.”
You can also check out Isaac’s appearance on last night’s Glenn Beck Program below: