Double amputee defies odds

A triathlon - a combination of swimming, bike riding, and distance running - is said to be one of the most difficult physical challenges an athlete can take on. Now imagine trying to complete that kind of race without legs! Scott Rigsby did it as a double amputee. And not just any triathlon; but the Ironman! That’s a 2.4 mile swim, then a 112 mile bike ride, followed by a full marathon run. He looks like an American football player, which he was many years ago. However, Rigsby is unlike any runner you have ever seen. He has had both of his legs amputated below the knee as a result of an accident that happened 22 years ago.

Professional Patient At 18 years old, the summer before he was due to head off to college, Scott thought he had it made. Sitting on the back of a pick up truck with a bunch of friends after a day of landscaping work, Scott suddenly found himself being dragged under a 3-ton trailer after an 18-wheeler hit them. By the time everything stopped he had been dragged more than 300 feet.

His back suffered third degree burns, his right leg was severed off and his left leg hung barely intact. His life was seemingly over. Over a decade of countless doctor and hospital visits, 26 surgeries, additional amputation, depression, fear, and uncertainty, Scott had become a professional patient. An inevitable battle with a prescription drug addiction followed, as did the loss of many relationships and trust. At one point, things got so desperate that Scott sold what little furniture he had just to pay rent. There was no steady income and no dreams for a stable or successful future.

Ironman Life had hit Scott Rigsby hard, knocking him down and keeping him there. Then, about 3 years ago, something struck a nerve in Scott.

“I just saw a lot of our military men and women putting themselves in harms way for my freedom,” Scott explains, “and I wanted to be able to do something to give back to them, to inspire them.” Scott decided to do an Ironman Triathlon. His friends reminded him that he did not know how to swim, did not own a bike, and had never run more than a mile on his prosthetic legs. But Scott had taken his motto to heart; “Just do what you can, do the best you can, and never quit and then you'll always reach your finish line.”

Last year Scott swam almost 2.5 miles in the ocean, without any prosthetic legs, then a 112 mile bike ride through the lava fields of Hawaii, then ran a 26.2 mile marathon, mostly in the dark. He finished the Ironman in just under 17 hours. An inspirational, six-minute film, “Unthinkable: The Scott Rigsby Story,” has been produced — “It’s a way for me to honour God and encourage people that faith does work,” he said.

 “One day I had a conversation with a pastor friend of mine, he said that God had a plan for my life. That’s when I connected with God. I poured out all my anger and hurt,” says Scott. “December 2005 was the lowest part of my life. Even though I was a Christian, I was lost. I was wandering in a desert of despair.  And so I just said a simple prayer, telling God that if He opened up the door for me I would run it.

Incredibly, Scott Rigsby has turned his life around, reaching unprecedented heights as a world-class athlete. Not only has he done the unthinkable, he sees no finish line in sight. He believes he has a genuine purpose to make a difference in everyone's life.

Scott’s race was more than a sports event, he is running and winning the race of life and sends out a clear message that regardless of their faith, nobody should let life’s events to put them down. He sums it up nicely by saying, “I placed my ordinary life in the hands of an extraordinary God, so that He could do extraordinary things.”

Every day, people’s lives are changing for the better; you can be next. Visit your local UCKG branch and get on your journey to a new life. For more information on the Scott Rigsby Story visit his website at www.scottrigsby.com

Released on Friday 26th September 2008