How A Quad Amputee Rebuilt Purpose Through Sport -The Scott Martin Story

Join Dr. Pete and Scott Martin for a remarkable story of strength, resilience, and the power of purpose. Scott is an award-winning soccer coach and educator whose life took an extraordinary turn after surviving a life-threatening illness that resulted in the loss of his hands and feet. Rather than letting adversity define him, Scott has transformed his experience into a mission—becoming a passionate advocate and influential voice within the disability community.

Learn more about Scott's upcoming book here:

https://librarytalespublishing.com/collections/scott-martin#:~:text=searched%20for%20product-,Scott%20Martin,Strong%2C%20a%20worldwide%20disability%20organization

Transcript

Welcome And Scott’s Introduction

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello and welcome back to On Air with Dr. Pete. I'm your host, Dr. Pete Economo, and I'm excited to be back here, of course, like always with you here today, because it is a crazy time of year just before the holidays, and uh at least that's how it is for me, and I'm sure it is for you. But I'm also looking for a time to relax and reflect and look back on the year. And we have had a lot of great guests this year, and today's show is no different. Uh, our guest today shares a remarkable story of strength, resilience, and the power of purpose. Uh, Scott Martin is an award-winning soccer coach and educator whose life took an extraordinary turn after surviving a life-threatening illness that resulted in the loss of his hands and feet. So, rather than letting adversity define him, Scott has transformed his experience into a mission, becoming a passionate advocate and influential voice for the disability community. Scott Martin, welcome to the show. Uh, good morning, Dr. Pete. Thanks for being here. So I appreciate you know, sharing your story. And uh, it's really uh it's important for people to hear that. I'm sure even in the opening, they're like, wow, like how does that happen?

SPEAKER_01 1:06

I'm learning quite a bit, especially as I get into the marketing phase. You know, the writing's all done, we've gone through editing or almost, but marketing phase, I'm learning about where this might go.

SPEAKER_00 1:18

Right.

SPEAKER_01 1:18

Very interested in seeing what happens after the book ends up dropping.

Coaching Roots And Early Career

SPEAKER_00 1:22

So yeah, so we'll talk about that. That's yeah, we'll talk about that today. So you had quite a career. So you were uh woman's head soccer coach at the University of Wisconsin. Tell us about that part of your career.

SPEAKER_01 1:34

I had for years after after college, I was a player in college and then afterwards with the club systems that were around at the time. Uh working my way up, I was teaching social studies and history at the high school level and coaching those programs, uh, and had the opportunity to go be a head coach at Division III rather than an assistant right out of college at someone with a division one. I decided to go that route just to build something that was mine.

SPEAKER_00 2:01

Yeah. Nice. And so you made that decision just do that, and then uh university, um, but that's not the University of Wisconsin.

SPEAKER_01 2:08

No, University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire. That's the University of Wisconsin's system is quite broad and we're part of the system.

SPEAKER_00 2:15

Yeah, very much so. Big system, obviously. And uh so coaching there for a long time.

The Illness And ICU Survival

SPEAKER_01 2:22

Uh after the first year is when all the story happened. I returned and I coached for four additional years before I ended up diverting myself and going in a different direction.

SPEAKER_00 2:34

All right. So, you know, this rising career as a soccer coach was happening then. That's really the story. Um, in the prime of your life, both mentally and physically, and suddenly everything changed. Can you share a bit about this life-threatening illness?

SPEAKER_01 2:47

Group A start with neckotizing fasciitis, the media at the time, back in the early and mid-90s, just loved to clam on to it being the flesh-eating disease. Uh, when I speak with students now, when I first meet them and tell them about my story, I go right into it. It does not eat flesh, it's not uh little uh molecules or anything that eats anything, it's just how our body protects itself with white blood cells. So that's what I contracted. And uh my the the the um version of strep that I contracted was the bad one.

SPEAKER_00 3:22

Okay. And and what else do you know about like so when you say you talk to students, and what else do you know about that?

SPEAKER_01 3:28

Like um, you know, I'm assuming people look for the why or the how or yeah, right out of the hospital, I I went back to uh the doctor that I I claimed saved my life in the intensive care unit and I asked him about it. And he's he actually told me that I needed to go question what happened initially when I initially um uh showed up at the emergency room. I believe that I contracted it while I was in training at the time to go over to Europe. Um when I was coaching in Europe, I'd also have opportunities to play as a guest player. So I believe that I picked it up from uh a sweaty uh weightlifting bench from someone else, maybe had a pimple on my back.

SPEAKER_00 4:08

Right. Something like yeah, you just never know, right? Yeah. No. So you so you were lucky to survive.

SPEAKER_01 4:12

Oh yes. I I was told point blank if I wasn't an athlete, I would have been dead. And I really should have been dead.

SPEAKER_00 4:20

You know, that's hard for people to hear, but you know, I guess that kind of adds to your story today.

Rehabilitation And New Identity

SPEAKER_01 4:26

Well, you know, when I went back, and of course I had to research what happened and what everything that went on, the group of strep, and there are many different types of strep, uh, my organs were shutting down. I mean, it was uh again, the white blood cells, the skin was dying in the extremities and working its way inward. So yeah, looking back, I found that I I really contracted something bad and I was very lucky to be alive.

SPEAKER_00 4:52

I guess what about like what at what point do you know you had to go to the hospital or like even the the journey that led to like that that bench potentially, the weight bench to ICU?

SPEAKER_01 5:04

I actually, because uh my first year at the university, we were nationally ranked, and I knew some people that knew some people that knew some people, and Nike called me and said, Hey, we have this regional camp for the top 100 uh players, high school players in the Midwest. That's a no-brainer, but the only problem was Dr. Pete, I showed up with Adidas on because that's what we were contracted to wear, so it was changed things. So uh we were to be playing in a coach's exhibition. I had to pull myself out. I woke up the next morning not knowing where any hospitals were. So I went to my mother's house, it was an hour and a half away in southern Wisconsin. And as wise as women are, as soon as she saw me, she said, You get your butt over to the emergency room. And that's where things started. Uh, the story down the bad path.

SPEAKER_00 5:49

Yeah, yeah. So I mean, overnight your life drastically changed. Uh, you had to relearn how to move, how to teach, how to live. Uh, can you tell us what that's like after being so active and physically fit your entire life? Extremely difficult.

Depression, Guilt, And Coping

SPEAKER_01 6:06

Uh I was one month in a coma and woke up from there to find out, hey, by the way, you know, in order to save your life, we amputated your hands and parts of your feet. First thing that shot through my mind was there, my playing career's done. Yeah. Uh, four more months in uh rehab, trying to learn how to use different prosthesis, started off with hooks, ended up with my electric hands. Uh coming out from there, I I'll describe it this way, Dr. Peters. Before I was sick, I was a white guy in athletics that all you had to do was prove yourself and get to know the right people. Well, I came out and all of a sudden I was categorized as disabled.

SPEAKER_00 6:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:45

I learned about discrimination. I learned about what I had to go through to try to get myself even close to back to being normal. Right. And it was difficult.

SPEAKER_00 6:54

Yeah. So, like the first time you actually felt it, like you learned about it up until that point. But what I hear you saying is like as a white man, you didn't have to really experience it until this disability was became a part of your life.

SPEAKER_01 7:05

Exactly. And then disability led to discrimination, which led to me to having a different view, a little bit more uh skeptical view on humanity, really. Totally.

SPEAKER_00 7:14

Well, I mean, you've oh you speak openly about running into walls of depression. Um, so how'd you pull yourself out of that?

SPEAKER_01 7:20

It just took time. I I I did a dumb thing, and I think it's more of a male thing, Dr. Pete, was I went right past, blue past uh dealing with the head and the heart on how to overcome all of this. I went, I was focused on work. I mean, we again we went four more years nationally ranked, and I just work, work, work, work, work to try to prove myself. I didn't want to see what the reality was.

SPEAKER_00 7:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:49

And I think people around me also looked past it. And looking back, I would say that uh a mistake that I made was not to include other people or talk to people. Guilt was a major issue for me emotionally and mentally coming out of the hospital.

SPEAKER_00 8:08

What was the guilt about? Like how would you describe that further for people?

SPEAKER_01 8:11

I made other people have to worry about me. I see to do things for me, to help me, my mother to see me like that, unable to care for myself and my family as well.

Breaking Down To Build Back Up

SPEAKER_00 8:24

You know, one of the things in sports we talk a lot about is like breaking ourselves down to build back up. And I know you've also said that. So like I I could assume that comes from athletics uh background, but like how did you always have it at that at that?

SPEAKER_01 8:38

Was that always a big piece of your narrative or has that grown since this after I ran into that brick wall of depression and I resigned my position at the university and threw everything in my uh the I could fit into my car, grab my cat, and we headed west to that's where I was the attitude was to break myself down in order to build myself back up. I took on a position as a free assistant with a deal to be had afterwards from that. I went from I had a brand new car, I had to sell it because it had a stick. I went and had to use uh food stamps to get by. I lived in a crappy little apartment. But that was the breaking it myself down part. Yeah. And the recuperation part was to try to find a way to get back in to revise how the way the way that I coached.

SPEAKER_00 9:30

Yeah. So, I mean, how do you remain so positive, you know, and such an inspiration in this? Because it's still to so many people you're there for them to inspire and to be positive for them.

SPEAKER_01 9:42

You know, is the deeper we get into this marketing campaign for the book, I'm learning more that this could carry me down a different path that I had no clue who was was going to be coming. To be an advocate for whatever organization or group or whatever I can do to help out from the crap that I had to go through. If I can be a person that can help on that stage, I mean, I can go back to my coaching and my teaching on trying. I have a responsibility, Dr. Pete. Yeah, I feel that I need to get a message out and it's okay. It takes time and a lot of hard work to get through something I went through.

SPEAKER_00 10:18

Yeah, you know, uh out there in the West, Michigan has a really large adaptive sport program uh that's like recognized nationally as one of the strongest. Uh, you know, and it's one of these I've actually had a guest on, and we were talking about ASP, the Association of Applied Sport Psychology, and there was a workshop on adaptive sports, uh, and there was not a ramp at the stage. And one of the presenters uh needed needed a ramp to get onto the stage, you know, and it's like, wow, you know, like how much more in your face can that be?

Advocacy And Adaptive Sports Gaps

SPEAKER_01 10:50

Yeah, most definitely. I, you know, I I had no clue. I had no clue, you know, before I was sick, and coming out, I had a much clearer picture of here's some problems here, folks, that need to be covered.

SPEAKER_00 11:03

Yeah. So what was that transition like for you to then you know now be labeled as disabled?

SPEAKER_01 11:10

I think a problem that I had was I labeled myself that way first.

SPEAKER_00 11:16

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 11:16

And I don't know if it's a male thing. I think I think it is more of a male thing than a female thing. Um yeah, I I carried myself down that path and I I called it the fog. I actually went through a phase where mentally I I think the depression was starting to seep in and get hold. And uh I viewed life as if I was wearing um uh earmuffs, for example, for hearing, and just my view of things, it wasn't real. I wasn't able, I wasn't in touch. Literally, I couldn't feel. So maybe that did have something to do with it. Yeah, but I I couldn't sense and feel things inside.

SPEAKER_00 12:00

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, so what's your like where do you think we need to go around you know, adaptive sports or people that are disabled being treated equally? Like, where do you where what what what changes do you think need to happen US soccer?

SPEAKER_01 12:18

I was in touch with them. They have a program new coming out leading up to the World Cup. And I haven't heard from them. I think I need to gain a broader and stronger platform for them to come to me and want to work with me on on how we can bring soccer at least into the disabled community. They do care about it and I want to help. And if there are any other organizations that I can be working with, I want to do that. Again, I've found since we signed the contract for the book and and starting the marketing aspect, I definitely am finding that I have a responsibility in front of me and I'm gonna doggone do it.

The Fog And Self-Labeling

SPEAKER_00 13:01

Yeah, I love that. And it's you know, it's it's a real responsibility, you know, to advocate, to be an advocate, to to advocate for for those. And obviously, when it's personal, uh, it's personal, which means that we could be a stronger advocate, or sometimes it could also burn us out a little bit too. So I I uh you have any good practices for self-care?

SPEAKER_01 13:22

I just did another podcast that finished like 45 minutes before I got on with you, and I just went up. I listened to I was listening to tunes when you came on.

SPEAKER_00 13:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:31

I had half a Coke Zero and just chill, look through email and stuff to try to get my mind set in a different direction. So I'm learning this process as I go through the process. Yeah. And there are gonna be mistakes that are gonna be happening, but I'm getting this into the swing of where this story may take me. So I can do a good job of uh being an ambassador or whatever is gonna be asked of me.

SPEAKER_00 13:58

Seems like you're doing it. And I know one of the ways that you're doing that is through your own podcast, uh Life's a Road Trip. So tell us about that.

Building A Platform And Podcasting

SPEAKER_01 14:06

Yeah, when I first the first uh edition of the book was too long. Uh and I I went through a couple of different agents, and they would tell, hey man, you need a you need a platform. Like, how am I gonna get a platform? So I had the idea of doing a podcast to learn. So we went through 73 episodes or something, and I then I signed with my current publisher, and he was okay with me dropping the podcast because now I'm gonna be focused on going on to podcasts. But uh it I again I understand from your side of the mic as well how this whole thing plays out and works. So I I have a feel for it. So I picked up some really good ideas and I was able to make some connections in the disabled community, uh, especially.

SPEAKER_00 14:58

I'm glad you have an idea because I don't really have an idea of what I'm doing, but so I'm glad you do. So uh so we've mentioned your book a bunch. So let's get let's get to that. So maybe tell the listeners about it. I know it's titled Play from Your Heart. So tell us about the book.

Play From Your Heart Book Story

SPEAKER_01 15:11

Well, it actually the the title, uh, ever since I went back to coaching as a freshman in college, I would tell players, turn off your brain and play from your heart. And it took me a while. That was kind of a point of emphasis with my instruction with with kids, was to get to the point technically you could turn off your brain. And then when soccer is played from the heart, that's the artistic side of it. So really turn off your brain, put play from your heart too long. So just play from your heart. I think it also carries in with the story of you know, from the illness going through. I have five adopted kids after I left coaching and I was away from coaching for 20 years, came back and grabbed this group of third-level 12-year-olds where the the story really focuses on how we present and what those kids did or what we did together. Yeah. After me being away from the game for, again, 20 years and what happened. It was about that's the the second half of the book is pretty dramatic as it is with the first half of the book.

SPEAKER_00 16:16

Uh I mean, it what you're talking about, like sports can heal what medicine sometimes cannot. Yeah, good point. Yeah, and I think that that's uh, you know, um, I would say you can't ever shut your brain off, so I'm glad that didn't make it to the title. Just from my perspective. But I but I know what you mean. We have that in a lot of the teams I work with where, you know, uh, you know, leave stuff outside the the four lines or you know, all this sort of things, yeah. Uh which if only were that simple, you know. I I it it's really, you know, life is complicated, the brain is complicated, and uh, you know, but this book sounds like it's gonna be something it's really uh, you know, uh about your journey, perseverance, uh, reinvention. Yeah, like what other themes would you say kind of come out?

Themes, Positivity, And Hope

SPEAKER_01 17:01

Yeah, I I I think you're hitting on those main topics. Uh that again, the the broad uh apron of the title covers everything that's in the book on how here's this guy that became a quad amputee to ended up taking, you know, the the end of the book is uh how I take these third-level reg tag, I call my soccer rat kids that are 12 years old that nobody thought could do anything. We end up going undefeated and winning the state championship. So uh that whole thing blends together. I think to hopefully, you know, one thing I've as I've been doing this stuff, Dr. Pete, is you know, this I I came up with a tagline, this is a positive story in negative times. And we all know the negative negativity that's out there. This is one opportunity for people, I think, to get away from the crap that's going on and to you know, just a good wholesome story.

SPEAKER_00 18:01

It sounds yeah, it is. And you talk a lot about marketing and all that. So, like, what's the journey of that like and where where is the book in that sort of regard? Like, what would that look like for you?

SPEAKER_01 18:11

The book officially drops June 9, two days before the first World Cup opener in Mexico City. So the timing's there. But I've learned that unless you're a celebrity, doing a memoir takes time. So we're out doing uh I'm I'm scheduling over 40 podcasts, I'm starting to get uh interviews for magazines and things are starting to trickle in. All of this stuff takes it's a process that's gonna be going in uh to get people just to know the name. We are out on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and wherever uh to do pre-orders. Nice. And I want to try to get those numbers up. So hey, my objective with my competitive desires is I want to get on the bestseller list by the time we drop on June 9th.

SPEAKER_00 18:55

Love that. Yeah. Uh you you got a lot of projects, a lot of stuff going on, and uh even back to coaching, right? That's the like you just said, it's the end of the book. So, what are some of your future goals?

Launch Timing And Marketing Push

SPEAKER_01 19:07

Again, Doc, I keep coming back to things have changed since I started the marketing aspect that I have no clue what's gonna come out of this. It's been asked me, do you want to go back to coaching college? Made me think, huh, if a college wants to talk, let's talk. And I'm like, my wife and I talked about that. I was like, it's a possibility. There are so many different avenues. Let's see what happens. Main thing is I've got a lot of work ahead of me to publicize and and work with and get the message out. But I'm finding out some things that I had no clue of when I started getting into the writing process, even. This is totally different than what I thought was gonna happen.

SPEAKER_00 19:45

Yeah. Well, that's life. Yeah, it's fun. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:50

It should I mean it can be, you know, it it's gonna be a there are gonna be drag times, yeah, when there's here, here go do this and here go do that. But you know

SPEAKER_00 20:00

The marketing taught you that things aren't the way you thought they were gonna be. This illness taught you that things aren't the way you thought they were gonna be. You know, life is constantly gonna put these things in front of us. We don't always understand why. Exactly. And we just gotta have it and there and just deal with it, which obviously you've done really well. So thanks for sharing that story with everybody.

SPEAKER_01 20:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:17

So where can people, you know, I know we talked about the books, we'll have all the links in the in the show notes, but where can people find the book and learn about your remarkable story?

Future Paths And Open Doors

SPEAKER_01 20:24

Well, it's just gonna be um Simon and Schuisser is the distributor and such a huge company. There have been delays, but anyway, by the time this drops, I I would imagine that people would be able to go on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, wherever, uh, and look up you know, Life's a Road Trip. Oh no, that's the name of the podcast. Dog on it. Uh Play from Your Heart. Play from your heart. Uh go on and look up Play From Your Heart on Amazon or wherever. And again, pre-orders are okay. They won't get it until June 9. Yeah. Uh, but the pre-order campaign is on on its way.

SPEAKER_00 20:58

Yeah. So play from your heart's a book, Life's a Road Trip, that's a podcast. But they can also check that out too, right? There's an episode of the code. You know what?

How To Find Scott And Preorders

SPEAKER_01 21:04

They're gone. They're all gone. They took a it's all gone. Yeah. Oh, okay. I I pulled it off uh uh just a year ago and I was very surprised. But you know, that's also a possibility with the title like Life's a Road Trip, yeah, it can cover so many things. So I don't know if somebody wants to get a hold of me regarding that too. Hey, uh people can reach me at uh reader.playfromyourheart at gmail.com. Reader.playfromyourheart at gmail.com. Again, I take this on as a responsibility. If there are people I can help and and communicate with, let's do it. There's a lot of things that uh need to be tackled, so let's get to work you know together.

SPEAKER_00 21:44

Love your will things. Love your willingness to help and to put yourself out there. Scott, thank you so much for being here. I know that you've inspired listeners today, and uh I really appreciate you sharing the story.

SPEAKER_01 21:54

Hey, I appreciate what you're doing too, Dr. Pete. I've listened to some of your episodes, and that you're making a dent as well.

SPEAKER_00 21:59

We're just trying one little one little dent at a time. One at a time, man.

SPEAKER_01 22:03

Yeah.

Closing Reflections And Listener Prompt

SPEAKER_00 22:03

All right. Well, big thanks to those listening at home. And as this time of year, I've really enjoyed looking back on everything that we've done together this past year, and I'm excited about what's ahead. Do you have any New Year's resolutions? If so, we'd like to hear from you about them. Head over to everything's at officialdoctorspeat.com and Instagram and all that and give us some ideas. So thanks for tuning in and please like, follow, and share. As you know, everything's official Dr. Pete. Stay tuned until next week and spread a little kindness and stay well.