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Unthinkable
After losing both of his legs in a car accident at age 18, Scott Rigsby battled his way back from depression and addiction to achieve the unthinkable—become the first double-leg amputee ever to cross the finish line in the sporting world’s most grueling and prestigious competition, the Ironman Triathlon. Scott has since become an inspiration to hundreds of thousands of physically challenged and able-bodied athletes the world over. Unthinkable documents Scott’s remarkable journey. From the scene of the devastating crash that claimed both of his legs, and his subsequent battle with depression and alcohol addiction, through his dawning realization that God has a greater plan for his life, readers will be inspired. From his decision to participate in the Ironman competition, to the moment he crossed the finish line, readers will engage with Scott’s unthinkable courage, determination and faith. Unthinkable releases simultaneously in both hardcover and softcover. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Scott Rigsby Foundation, a Georgia-based non-profit organization dedicated to inspire, inform, and enable physically challenged individuals with loss of limb or mobility to live an active lifestyle.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
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135 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
July 15, 2017
18 year old Scott Rigsby had completed another days worth of working mowing lawns and was riding on the toolbox on the back of a pickup when the trailer they were pulling was struck by a tractor-trailer attempting to pass them on a narrow bridge. Scott was thrown from the truck, wedged under the trailer, and drug down the asphalt for over 300 feet. His right leg was amputated at the hospital. After several years of battling infections, his left leg was amputated as well.
Scott spent several years wandering aimlessly struggling to keep a day job and to find his way in life. He struggled with alcohol and depression along the way. Despite it all, in 2007, some nine years later, he became the first double amputee to complete an Ironman competition - a 140.6 mile course combining swimming, biking, and running. He completed the course in 16 hours, 42 minutes, and 46 seconds. Scott now devotes his time inspiring physically challenged individuals and students to overcome the obstacles and challenges to pursue their dreams to do something amazing.
Once I started this book, I could not lay it down until I had finished it. I highly recommend it to everyone at any age.
Scott spent several years wandering aimlessly struggling to keep a day job and to find his way in life. He struggled with alcohol and depression along the way. Despite it all, in 2007, some nine years later, he became the first double amputee to complete an Ironman competition - a 140.6 mile course combining swimming, biking, and running. He completed the course in 16 hours, 42 minutes, and 46 seconds. Scott now devotes his time inspiring physically challenged individuals and students to overcome the obstacles and challenges to pursue their dreams to do something amazing.
Once I started this book, I could not lay it down until I had finished it. I highly recommend it to everyone at any age.
April 18, 2023
As I was reading another book titled 'Unthinkable' I saw this one. This is a true story of a young man, losing his legs in a freak accident at the age of 18. The story of a young man who lost his way in life for a long time after that. The story of a young man who lost his fathers love.
The story of a young man who finds God, and looks for a sign for what he should be doing with his life. Who, incredibly, finds a poster for the Hawaiian Ironman event and takes that as his sigh from God. The story of a young man who perseveres in his training, his disappointments, his joys, and his inspiration to others. Highly recommend!
The story of a young man who finds God, and looks for a sign for what he should be doing with his life. Who, incredibly, finds a poster for the Hawaiian Ironman event and takes that as his sigh from God. The story of a young man who perseveres in his training, his disappointments, his joys, and his inspiration to others. Highly recommend!
May 20, 2021
I was given a signed copy of this book by a dear friend after my 13 year old son Jamie was killed when hit by a car. It was both the distraction and the inspiration of which I was in dire need. (that was 8 years ago and it is still a daily struggle). While Scott's tragedy and mine were clearly different, his attitude, spirit and resilience were what spoke to me. Thank you, Scott Rigsby, I hope you are well.
June 8, 2017
very inspirational story of faith and determination
May 15, 2020
Language
February 6, 2021
I know this sounds cliche but this truly is an inspiring book.
August 31, 2021
Was more a life story which ended with an ironman event
April 21, 2025
Great story and well written. Inspiring to say the least.
September 5, 2015
Scott was 18, handsome, a football player, heading off to college, when he was in a terrible car wreck. He was riding in the back of a pickup truck on the toolbox, heading back to his shift mowing lawns, when their truck was side-swiped by an 18-wheeler that punctured one of the trailers' tires causing a blowout. The other two guys in the back were okay but Scott ended up between the two trucks and eventually the trailer ended up on top of him, amputating his right leg. His back had third degree burns from being dragged on the pavement, and his left leg was mangled, with a compound fracture of the femur and his heel bone gone.
His left leg wasn't healing well. The bone grafts weren't taking, he kept getting infections, and the skin wouldn't close. Finally, Scott admitted that prior to the accident, he had been taking steroids, and the doctors then knew why their treatments weren't working. I wished he had addressed whether or not this was significant - would his leg likely have turned out okay if he hadn't been taking the drugs - or if it was just a minor speedbump that caused a small delay towards the inevitable result. There are a few omission like this throughout. Such as he mentioned frequently that he had a traumatic brain injury, which caused volatile emotions, memory lapses, and trouble concentrating, and that in the late 1980s when his injury happened, few people including doctors were really aware of TBIs and what they caused. But he never tells us when he was finally diagnosed with that TBI and what impact that diagnosis had on him.
Scott's experience is representative of what typically happens to someone in this type of an accident. He has years of issues, mostly mental, as he gains money and loses it from multiple settlements, he ends up hooked to prescription drugs and depressed. But I wish he had taken more responsibility for the financial losses, the drinking and sleeping around, the lack of direction and follow-through, and the addiction (which never is addressed beyond that he has a problem. What pills and how many is another omission, as is how he got off them.)
The bulk of the book is mostly about his failures in school, in jobs, and in getting on with life. He rarely mentions his amputation at all, and when it does, it's just a passing glance. I was shocked to find, a good way through the book, that he drives a regular car using the foot pedals, although it's his right leg that was amputated. He gives no explanation, just skips along to the next story. Finally, after more than 10 years of dealing with his never truly healed left leg, he decides to get it amputated, which is the best decision he ever made. I can understand that, but I wish along the way that we'd heard more about the problems he was still having with it. Obviously, readers know from the front cover that he will eventually become a double amputee, so in that regard it wasn't shocking, but I think that if we hadn't been set up by the cover, it would have been, as he just doesn't talk about the medical issues much. That said, the second amputation does seem to turn his life around to a large degree.
He sees an article about Sarah Reinsertsen and decides to start running. He dives in without any research or preparation but he figures it all out and does get coaches and sponsors. I was particularly amused when his swimming coach and he are first trying to figure out how this will work and his coach gives him a kick board. Scott went backwards! And finally while preparing for the race, he does give practicalities about his amputations and his prostheses.
This is a fast and inspiring read. You really do root for Scott to get through the race and finally achieve something positive in his life. I think Scott, like all of us, has a long way to go to fully realize his potential, but I'm thrilled he's finally found a place where his skills and talents fit well (public speaking), and that keeps him happy and healthy. I hope he continues on this path to fulfillment.
His left leg wasn't healing well. The bone grafts weren't taking, he kept getting infections, and the skin wouldn't close. Finally, Scott admitted that prior to the accident, he had been taking steroids, and the doctors then knew why their treatments weren't working. I wished he had addressed whether or not this was significant - would his leg likely have turned out okay if he hadn't been taking the drugs - or if it was just a minor speedbump that caused a small delay towards the inevitable result. There are a few omission like this throughout. Such as he mentioned frequently that he had a traumatic brain injury, which caused volatile emotions, memory lapses, and trouble concentrating, and that in the late 1980s when his injury happened, few people including doctors were really aware of TBIs and what they caused. But he never tells us when he was finally diagnosed with that TBI and what impact that diagnosis had on him.
Scott's experience is representative of what typically happens to someone in this type of an accident. He has years of issues, mostly mental, as he gains money and loses it from multiple settlements, he ends up hooked to prescription drugs and depressed. But I wish he had taken more responsibility for the financial losses, the drinking and sleeping around, the lack of direction and follow-through, and the addiction (which never is addressed beyond that he has a problem. What pills and how many is another omission, as is how he got off them.)
The bulk of the book is mostly about his failures in school, in jobs, and in getting on with life. He rarely mentions his amputation at all, and when it does, it's just a passing glance. I was shocked to find, a good way through the book, that he drives a regular car using the foot pedals, although it's his right leg that was amputated. He gives no explanation, just skips along to the next story. Finally, after more than 10 years of dealing with his never truly healed left leg, he decides to get it amputated, which is the best decision he ever made. I can understand that, but I wish along the way that we'd heard more about the problems he was still having with it. Obviously, readers know from the front cover that he will eventually become a double amputee, so in that regard it wasn't shocking, but I think that if we hadn't been set up by the cover, it would have been, as he just doesn't talk about the medical issues much. That said, the second amputation does seem to turn his life around to a large degree.
He sees an article about Sarah Reinsertsen and decides to start running. He dives in without any research or preparation but he figures it all out and does get coaches and sponsors. I was particularly amused when his swimming coach and he are first trying to figure out how this will work and his coach gives him a kick board. Scott went backwards! And finally while preparing for the race, he does give practicalities about his amputations and his prostheses.
This is a fast and inspiring read. You really do root for Scott to get through the race and finally achieve something positive in his life. I think Scott, like all of us, has a long way to go to fully realize his potential, but I'm thrilled he's finally found a place where his skills and talents fit well (public speaking), and that keeps him happy and healthy. I hope he continues on this path to fulfillment.
February 2, 2010
I question the color scheme for the cover because I think it is unfortunate and makes the book look dated. However this is a current book about a man who did the "unthinkable" in 2007. Inside is a well-written story about Scott Rigsby and his journey from the time of an accident that left him as an amputee to the moment he crosses the finish line at the Iron Man competition in Kona, Hawaii. This makes him the first double amputee to ever complete the famous race (in case you are unfamiliar it is a 2.4 miles swim. a 112 mile bike ride-roughly the distance from San Diego to L.A. and then a marathon-all in grueling conditions). It is a long journey and I think he (or the author he writes with) is excellent at reflecting on his life since the time of his accident. He doesn't hide any of his mistakes or his own faults and I think it is refreshing and makes the book realistic and relatable. It reveals him as an average person who does something extraordinary and not as an unattainable hero figure which is the fault of so many "inspirational" books. He speaks of his faith often which could have the potential to completely turn me off but his "leaps of faith" and his struggle with it ring true to me. I read this book in one sitting and found it as inspirational as it is meant to be.
May 26, 2013
I'm not going to write a book report about Unthinkable, you can read the book description to get the main idea of the story. What the book description will not tell you, however, is how this book will personally affect you and neither can I. All I can do is share with you how Scott's incredible story has affected me.
Scott is brutally honest when telling his story. We all like to root for the underdog, well, there have been times in Scott's life where he was even under the underdog! He does not sugar coat anything. There are times in the book where you feel sorry for him, you are angry with him, and you are embarrassed for him but in the end you just can't help falling in love with him.
Unthinkable does not just address Scott's physical and emotional injuries of losing his legs but it also discusses his struggle with sustaining a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
When Scott describes his races, especially the Ironman World Championships in 2007, you feel as if you are with him every stroke, pedal and step of the way.
Super inspiring book!!!
Scott is brutally honest when telling his story. We all like to root for the underdog, well, there have been times in Scott's life where he was even under the underdog! He does not sugar coat anything. There are times in the book where you feel sorry for him, you are angry with him, and you are embarrassed for him but in the end you just can't help falling in love with him.
Unthinkable does not just address Scott's physical and emotional injuries of losing his legs but it also discusses his struggle with sustaining a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
When Scott describes his races, especially the Ironman World Championships in 2007, you feel as if you are with him every stroke, pedal and step of the way.
Super inspiring book!!!
May 23, 2016
Very inspiring story of a man who had been counted out for various reasons -- too old, too fat, too slow, disabled, broken -- but crossed his personal finish line anyway, on the way becoming the first double amputee in the world to finish an Olympic distance, half-Ironman, and eventual full-Ironman distance triathlon. Scott spares little, detailing his emotional, physical, and spiritual anguish over the years, struggling with depression, alcoholism, and prescription drug addiction. Scott comes from a conservative Christian southern culture and the book reflects that. For some, the religious overtures might be a bit over-bearing, but it did not strike me as over the top. The writing was pretty straight forward and nothing too fancy.
September 4, 2013
It was great that he was the narrator as well. He goes thru the story of losing both of his legs and the struggles that came after. It gives an honesty view from a bilateral amputee.
Anyone studying for prosthetics, recently became an amputee, or have a family member with a new amputee would really benefit from reading this book.
Anyone studying for prosthetics, recently became an amputee, or have a family member with a new amputee would really benefit from reading this book.
February 21, 2016
The author of this book, Scott Rigsby, is a warrior of the body, mind and spirit. There is no other way I could describe someone whose legs were tore from him in his youth but persevered through tragedy, addiction and self doubt to become an Ironman. Scott is an inspiration and a true ambassador to the power of a BIG dream and faith.
June 2, 2011
Read for work. Pretty interesting story - but the way it was written, it really makes me hate the guy. He seems to be such a whiner and complainer (which he certainly has right to be) however, I thought that made the book less uplifting than it is supposed to be.
January 4, 2011
Very motivational and inspiring.
Want to read
April 19, 2012Option for Life Studies Book
October 4, 2012
Inspiring story of struggle.
July 23, 2012
fun read for triathletes or for people who put their lives in God's hands... or both.
August 4, 2012
Just goes to show you how when life gives you "lemons" make lemonade!
September 20, 2012
Good story. Scott is honest and forthright about his shortcomings! His story is compelling! A must read.
August 22, 2013
A very honest writing style, a tale of repeat mistakes, forgiveness, and determination.
June 24, 2014
A great 'come back from injury' book! It was a quick read... Had a hard time putting it down
Style of writing wasn't my favorite, but it didn't take away from the story
Style of writing wasn't my favorite, but it didn't take away from the story
November 28, 2014
A truly inspiring account of a man's journey from ruin to triumph. Funny, honest, and at times heartbreaking. Well worth the read.
January 20, 2012
DEFINITELY a must read!!
April 18, 2012
A bit too religious for my tastes, but an inspiring story nonetheless.
November 3, 2012
Great story, worth every minute. We all need hope, and trusting God will always pay bid dividends.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews