Stand up: I lost my leg to cancer not my dream

Scott Odom is a skilled basketball player with an inspiring story that consists of both tragedy and triumph. His determination and competitive drive has allowed him to pursue his dreams against tremendous odds.

On the first day of high school, a nervous Scott wanted to fit in like any other new student. But by nightfall, that same day, he would find out that he had osteosarcoma (bone cancer). Scott was misdiagnosed for roughly 4 years. He complained of pain in his knee since the age of 10, but was told that he was too active for his age, had pulled ligaments, and growing pains.

While undergoing chemotherapy, Scott was faced with a tough decision. He could save his leg by having the tumor removed, but this would prohibit extensive physical activity; or, he could have his right leg amputated above the knee. At age 14, Scott made the decision to have his leg amputated. Unfortunately, shortly after the surgery, his stump became infected causing the doctors to have to cut a few inches higher.

Being an athlete at heart, Scott returned to high school and played for the baseball team; however, he knew that no college would consider him a serious athlete because of his prosthesis. Therefore, he began to contemplate amputee sports, but was disappointed to see that the Paralympics was the biggest outlet for amputees. The only way he could play basketball as an amputee was with a wheelchair.

“I have nothing against wheelchair basketball and have the upmost respect for those guys because it is a tough sport to play, but my heart was in playing stand-up basketball like I would do everyday where I lived. So that’s when I decided to set out to make stand-up basketball among amputees happen,” said Scott.

Scott pitched his idea of a stand-up amputee basketball league to various outlets, but did not hear back from anyone. As a result, he posted a video of himself playing basketball on YouTube, in hopes that he would find other amputees interested in playing stand-up basketball. Soon, interested players worldwide began to connect with Scott. From here, Amp1 Basketball was born.

Amp1 is more than just a team of basketball players. They are men who take pride in giving back to their community. During each basketball game, Amp1 members demonstrate that only courage, motivation, and determination are needed to follow your dreams, not just limbs.

“Yes we are amputees playing stand up basketball, but we make it a point to visit schools and hospitals to spread the message of never giving up, overcoming adversity, and keeping the faith. It is really more than basketball with what we are doing. All of us have had to overcome a tough adversity in our life with missing a limb, and to come back from that and to reach other people through the game of basketball is something real special,” said Scott.

Scott was told he would not have been able to achieve his dream. He was told that as an amputee, he could only play basketball in a wheelchair. However, his passion for the sport and persevering work ethic, which he learned from his father, has enabled Scott to do what he loves today—play stand-up basketball!

To learn more about Amp1, click here.