Double Amputee Triathlete Scott Rigsby to Help Aimee Copeland Who Lost Limbs to Necrotizing Fasciitis

My daughter began running marathons and triathlons in the years since she became deaf at 18. She is one of my heroes. She introduced me to the story of her hero, Scott Rigsby, a double amputee who completed the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon with the help of high tech prosthetic legs.

Last week, I saw Scott leading a “boot camp” type workout group on a run when I was driving to work. Immediately when I got to the office, I had to send a text message to my daughter in Rochester, NY, that I had seen her hero in action. Of course, she had to immediately contact Scott and ask his advice on where to continue the bike portion of her triathlon training when she comes home for a couple of weeks in July before starting grad school.

Today the AJC carried a story that Scott Rigsby has agreed to a resource and provide emotional support for Aimee Copeland, the young woman who lost her legs and hands due to the flesh-decaying bacteria necrotizing fasciitis after a homemade zip line over the Little Tallapoosa River snapped and she fell onto rocks, incurring a bad cut on her leg.

These are great illustration of the unconquerable spirit we have seen in the survivors of catastrophic injuries, whether involving amputation, spinal cord injury, brain injury, burns or other serious injuries.