Amputee Triathlete Overcomes Odds
Scout Bassett’s life began with a terrible accident. At age one, her right leg was burned badly in a chemical fire, making it necessary to amputate the leg. The Chinese native was then abandoned at the steps of an orphanage. For the next seven years, Bassett was victim to child abuse and poor living conditions. Then, everything changed, “A miracle really happened in my life and a couple from Northern Michigan and came and adopted me,” said Bassett.
Her adoptive parents, Joe and Susi Bassett moved their new child to the United States where she flourished. Scout learned English quickly and embraced the culture of her new surroundings. With the help of a prosthetic, she developed a love for sports, but she discovered at a young age that she was unlike the other kids, “What I quickly found out in my elementary years and even through junior high, was that I was always welcome to practice with the team, but not always welcome to compete or play with the team,” said Bassett. “So I either didn’t play at all or played when the game didn’t really matter. It had a huge effect on my self esteem and my self confidence.”
After her family moved to Palm Desert, California, Scout began playing golf and tennis in high school. During her senior year, with the help of the Challenged Athlete’s Foundation, she found a new love: triathlons.
Now, a senior at UCLA, Scout competes at nearly a dozen triathlons annually, and is part of the USA paratriathlete team. “I can’t believe this, that I’m living this incredible dream, and came from a girl who didn’t even think I would ever leave an orphanage to a girl who’s getting to travel all over the world to compete in triathlons,” said Bassett.
Beyond the triathlons however, Scout wants to share her message of perseverance and hard work with the world, “Everybody has challenges, mine’s obvious, but we’re all fighting struggles and trials and errors, and it’s all about finding the strength within to be able to conquer those fears and conquer those doubts.”
