from the February 2008 of Health & Fitness Sports Magazine

[story by

Ann Stone] { updated in 2013}

Houstonian David Bennett was born a strong, healthy baby. But, when he was eight months old, in the blink of an eye, his life changed forever.

While his mother Hazel was painting a wall at their El Paso home with David looking on from his baby walker, she stepped out of the room for just a minute or two. In that short span of time, David somehow walked under a utility table, where his head got stuck and he couldn’t get out.

When his mother returned to the room, she saw that his eyes had rolled back in his head. Her efforts to revive him failed. She rushed him to the emergency room of the nearest hospital, where he was pronounced D.O.A. The doctors estimated that he had been clinically dead for eight to 12 minutes. Hazel insisted that the doctors inject several adrenaline shots into his heart. He miraculously responded.

From that day forward, Hazel has never given up on David. Despite his disabilities, she encouraged him to work- out at Memorial Athletic Club (MAC) to keep his body strong and healthy. Fitness has become a passion in his life. He has become a mainstay on the MAC racquetball courts and in the weight room for 20 years now. His mother credits several people for seeing beyond David’s disability and encouraging him to be the best he can be. Among the most influential are Dr. Dino Palividas, Chuck White and MAC manager David Cardone.

Bennett, now 51, says he has tried to live his life thinking in terms of how he can help others. “I believe we all have opportunities to open doors for people and, if we don’t take advantage of this, we miss out on a chance to change their lives.” David says. “I can’t afford to fail. There are too many people I can’t afford to let down. I want to open doors for people. I have a friend, Allison, who has cerebral palsy and she motivates me to no end by her overwhelming happiness, because that’s all she has. She can’t walk; all she can do is smile and laugh. She’s very cognizant of her surroundings and is very intelligent. She writes poetry and is always happy, never complains. She has a great sense of humor.”

David has maintained a positive outlook on life and says he doesn’t have time to feel sorry for himself. “I have always placed others in higher esteem than myself. You can’t walk around with a chip on your shoulder. You must learn how to love and be loved. It all starts with you. My family is my backbone; we are always there for each other. Our family credo is ‘you fight one of us and you fight us all.’ My mom and dad worked, so my brothers and I just had each other and protected each other’s backs. My family is still very important to me.

“My family at Memorial Athletic Club is of outstanding value to me and I totally believe that I am a vital part of the family there and hope to never let them down.”

And he hasn’t. He has won three leg press contests in 1996-1997 & 1998 and his medals are on display in the M.A.C. upstairs weight room by the free weight's.

“I want to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative. You can’t change the past, but you can learn lessons from it. I think life is what it is and you just have to deal with it.”

[I was in radio @ KPFT 90.1 F.M. & my air I-D was The MIGHTY E.L.M.O. [started in the summer of 1978 up to 1990/ I quit & came back in late 1995 with Billy & Randy then we got kicked off the air in 1998, so that's me & life is what you make it, so dream & live those dreams & ride the light but always know when to step off be for it hits the ground. { so let's ride the LIGHTING!!!!!]

My facebook-->>https://www.facebook.com/dave.bennett.3910