You're My Inspiration

Everyone has somebody in their life who inspires them to greater things; to try harder, to love deeper, and to hold on just a little bit longer. I just don't have the words to convey my own thoughts and feelings, but Pam, I want you to know that you and Larry are an inspiration to me. Your dedication and Larry's determination are a testimony to the grace of God and the love of Christ in a world often devoid of such. I know it is Christ in you that makes the difference.

For those unfamiliar, I give you just a portion of Larry's story.

January 27, 2011

Disabled hunter Larry Hogestyn an inspiration and much more

Leo Roth
Staff writer

Larry Hogestyn's sense of hearing had to have been much keener than an average outdoorsman's.

"I get in tune with the woods and I listen for steps made by animals and try and guess what they are as they approach," Larry wrote in an e-mail.

I wonder now what Larry Hogestyn heard as a trophy tom turkey approached his blind as he sat quietly alone during archery season last fall. Dropping the big bird — which weighed an estimated 25 pounds with 1 ¼-inch spurs — with an arrow shot from his crossbow modified for disabled hunters was the highlight of his hunting season.

It would be his last season in the woods he loved.

"He was as excited as he could be," said Pam, his wife of 29 years. "It was his last hurrah."

Larry Hogestyn died on Jan. 12 after a courageous, eight-plus-year battle with a rare brainstem stroke that left his mind intact but his body paralyzed, except for the ability to move his eyelids and little else. He was 55.

His inspirational story as a severe stroke victim who still managed to pursue his love of the outdoors thanks to his zest for life and the unyielding love and strength of his wife and family was the subject of an Oct. 17 Do It! column in the Democrat and Chronicle.

Even after incurring dreaded "locked in syndrome'' in the fall of 2002, Mr. Hogestyn was determined to live his life as fully as he could.

"The mind he had, it was always ticking," said George Bolender, founder of New York Outdoors Unlimited, which helps disabled outdoorsmen return to the woods and water with adaptive equipment.

"For all the people who say they can't do it, I throw a picture of Larry in the mail and say, 'Look at this guy.' He was our poster boy and he didn't mind it. If he could inspire someone else, he did it.''

Larry was an accomplished big-game hunter, deep-sea fisherman and so much more.

A xerographic engineer at Xerox, he owned eight patents. He once raced cars at Spencer Speedway. He was a woodworker who crafted fine furniture, firearms and built boats. He even constructed a small-engine gyroplane that he flew around his neighborhood in Ontario, Wayne County.

After his stroke, he became a prolific writer thanks to technology that allowed him to use a virtual keyboard by biting down on an eyedropper to click each letter. He wrote a book on spirituality, maintained a website and communicated with friends and family.

I've never been more moved by a subject I've interviewed, and this was a man who could neither move nor speak. But Larry Hogestyn had that effect on everyone who knew him.

"He was just so vision-driven," said good friend Jack Satta, a high school chum who met his wife, Lisa, through the Hogestyns. "Most guys see barriers to doing things, but not Larry. How many guys build a flying machine?"

Or fly outside the constraints of their physical limitations? His story was a testament to the human spirit, but also to a family's unconditional love and the power of faith.

Pam Hogestyn inspired others, too. For eight years and four months, she was her husband's chief caregiver nearly 24/7 so he could live in his own home.

"It's where God wanted me to be," she said in her typical selfless manner.

Not a hunter herself, Pam learned to field dress deer and work her husband's adaptive equipment so he could continue to enjoy the life he once knew.

In addition to his turkey, Larry also harvested three deer with his bow last fall, giving him a total of nine as a disabled hunter. Some able-bodied hunters don't have one.

A previous cancer survivor, Mr. Hogestyn had dealt with myriad health issues related to his stroke and had mentioned to Pam he may soon elect to remove his feeding tube. That occurred in early January. He died peacefully at home.

"I knew he was contemplating this end so it was hard for me knowing it was his last hunting season," Pam said. "We went out every weekend. He chose this way and he left with the dignity he had. He was done fighting and we respected his decision. I know he'll live on in many people's lives."

What people can will themselves to do under dire medical circumstances is what doctors can't predict. What we can't comprehend.

Faced with such a thing, Larry Hogestyn did decide being alive in mind only was worth it. In the process, he celebrated eight more years worth of birthdays and holidays. He watched three sons grow into successful men. He told his wife he loved her each day by blinking his eyes.

By living his life, he made people examine their own. He left them vowing to themselves never to complain again. He is free now.

Additional Facts

In memory

New York Outdoors Unlimited will dedicate its 2nd Annual Game Dinner on Sunday, Feb. 13 in honor of Larry Hogestyn. It takes place from 2 to 4 p.m. at Genesee Conservation League. Send donations in Mr. Hogestyn's name to: Outdoors Unlimited, 1126 Ridge Road, Ontario, NY 14519. Go to www.nyoutdoorsunlimited.com.