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Rick by Angelo Segretto III A story of hope.
In loving memory of Rick — a tribute to his courage, his talent, and his heart.
The Visitor It was a sunny day, not a cloud in the sky. A gentleman walked up to a small wooden house — old, but strong, with a wooden screen door and a porch. A woman was standing in front of the house holding a child. “Hi, I'm with a local real estate company,” he said. “I was in the neighborhood, and I was wondering if you'd be interested in selling your house. I have a lot of people interested in this neighborhood.” “Oh, we're not really interested in selling our home,” she said kindly. “But thank you for asking.” The man could not help but notice Rick’s hands were different than most kids. “Oh — what a beautiful little boy” he said. “Do you mind if I ask, What happened to his hands?” “It's a birth defect,” she said softly. “He was born this way.” “Have you looked into anything that might help?” he asked gently.
“No,” she said. “They say there's nothing that can be done.” “Well,” he said, “I'm also a member of an organization called the Shriners. They are a hospital that helps children like your son— there's no cost to families at all. I believe they may be able to help him. Would you allow me to sponsor him?” The woman's eyes filled with tears. “That sounds wonderful,” she said, her voice trembling. “Let me talk to my husband about it.
Good News That evening, George came home from work. “Hello — I'm home!” he called. His wife was sitting in a comfortable chair holdin Rick and reading a paper given to her by the nice man. “George, something wonderful happened today,” she said. “A man came by — he's a member of an organization called Shriners. It's a hospital that helps children with birth defects, and there's no cost at all. He wants to sponsor Rick. What do you think?” George smiled. “Well, we want to do the best for Rick. Let's see what it's all about.”
Shriners Hospital They walked into the hospital together as a family. A nurse greeted them warmly and asked why they'd come. When they explained they'd been sponsored, she smiled. “Of course — please have a seat. The doctor will be with you shortly.” Before long, the nurse returned. “The doctor will see you now.” They were led into a room where a kind doctor was waiting. “I'm so happy you're here,” he said, examining Rick’s hands as he spoke. “I can see Rick could use some help. We're here for him , and I'm sure there's something we can do that will make his life a lot easier.” The family left the hospital that day full of hope.
Coming Home Shortly after the doctors visit Rick had an amazing operation, It was time to pick him up from Shriners hospital. Rick’s parents sat waiting in the hospital waiting room. Then a nurse appeared, with Rick. The moment Rick saw his mother, he ran to her and jumped straight into her arms.
Growing Stronger As the months went on, Ricks's hands grew stronger. He built things with his blocks — first a little car, then a little house. Then he got a new toy — a wooden board with holes and pegs. He pounded the pegs through with a small hammer, flipped the board over, and pounded them through again. As the months passed, his fingers grew steadier. Eventually, though his dexterity wasn't exactly like everyone else's, he was able to hold a pencil and a crayon — and he got to a point where he drew a beautiful picture of the doctor helping him with his hands.
Rick’s Birthday Party Rick's tenth birthday was very special. His parents had arranged for family to come over for a party, and on the day of the party, people started arriving. Rick's cousin, who played guitar in a band, had offered to play at the party, and the band was setting up. While the band set up, Rick played cornhole with his cousin Jane. After the first throw or two, the band began to play.
“Hey, Jane,” Rick said, “let's go listen to the band. My cousin's in it!” “Okay, let's go!” she said, and they ran over. Rick's cousin noticed him right away and gave him a wink and a nod. Rick stood there in awe, watching, thinking that what his cousin was doing was such a magical thing — and that maybe, someday, he'd like to do that too. Then his cousin walked up to the microphone. “Hey, everybody — let's wish Rick a very happy birthday! Everybody now...” And the whole band and family sang happy birthday to him.
A Truck Full of Surprise A couple of years later, there was a knock at the door. Johnny answered it and saw his cousin standing there. “Hi, Jack! How are you doing?” “I'm doing really good,” Jack said. “Hey, Rick — you know what? I've got something for you.” “What is it?” “Come out to my truck and I'll show you.” They walked out together, and Jack pulled a tarp off something sitting in the truck bed — an electric organ. “Is that for me?” Rick asked. “Yep, sure is,” Jack said. “We just got a new one for the band, so I thought you might like to play around with this one.”
“Oh my gosh — thank you so much! I love it!” Rick was jumping up and down with joy. It was something he'd always wanted but could never afford.
First Notes The next day, Rick's dad set up the organ on its stand in the living room. He was just finishing when Rick came running out of his bedroom. “Dad, is it ready?” “Sure is,” his dad said. “Give it a try.” “I can't wait!” Rick sat down and plunked out a few notes — and with every note, his smile grew a little bigger.
Mary Had a Little Lamb For weeks, Rick spent hours a day at the organ, fascinated by everything it could do. Before long, he'd taught himself his very first song. “Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb...” His mother walked in. “Hey, Mom — listen to this!” “Oh, Rick — that's wonderful! I can't believe you learned that.” “I learned another one you can play with me,” Rick said. “It's called Chopsticks. Sit here on the bench with me.” She sat down. “Well, what do I do?” “Just look at me, and do the same thing on your side.” And the two of them played Chopsticks together, laughing all the way through.
One After playing the organ for a few years, Rick had grown very familiar with it — and his gift for learning songs just by listening to them kept getting stronger. One of his favorites was a song called “One” by Three Dog Night. He listened to it over and over and over again, until one day he could sit at the organ and play — and sing — the whole thing himself.
Cousin's Visit One day, Johnny was sitting at the organ playing when his cousin Jack came by unexpectedly. Jack stood and listened, and he couldn't believe how good Rick had gotten in such a short time. “Hey, Rick — you're really getting good at that,” Jack said. “I really love it,” Rick said. “Thank you so much for giving it to me.” “Well, you deserve it — you've been working hard,” Jack said. “I've got to run to band practice. I'll talk to you later.”
Joining the Band The next day, there was a knock at the door. Rick opened it to find his cousin standing there again. “Oh — Jack! Back again?” “Rick, I've come to see you,” Jack said. “Me? Why?” “I had band practice last night. I was talking to the guys, and we're thinking it'd be great if you joined the band — you know, playing the organ.” “Oh, wow — that's great! I would love to do that!” “Okay, it's settled,” Jack said. “I'll let you know when the next practice is.”
First Practice Rick was a little nervous for his first practice, but excited too. Seeing his cousin there helped him relax. They set up his organ, and the band began teaching him the chords for the first song. But Rick's ear was so good that he barely needed the help — he'd already been figuring it out as they went along.
Taking the Stage Over the next couple of years, Rick performed with the band at all kinds of events — the county fair, the local teen club, family parties. He played background music and sang background vocals, growing more confident with every show. One evening, the band was set to play at the local community center, and Rick's parents were finally coming to watch him perform. Rick ran over to greet them as they arrived. “I'm so happy you could come! I'm really excited about you hearing me play.” His parents stood and watched as the band took the stage. After the first song, Rick leaned over to his cousin. “Can I sing a solo?” “Sure,” Jack said. The spotlight found Rick at his organ. His parents watched, beaming with pride, as he began to sing the very first song he'd ever taught himself, all those years before. “One is the loneliest number that you'll ever know.”
Rick went on to be one of the most respected performers and songwriters in his community and brought many smiles to many faces. Thank you, Rick, for sharing your talent.