"'It was inspirational,' Rocky Scandone told The Times on Saturday. 'Nick knew what he wanted to accomplish, and he kept himself alive for the Olympics. When he was diagnosed with [ALS], we thought it would be a couple years. Around the fourth year he had his eyes set on the Olympics, and we all said, well, that's great to have that goal, but no one thought he would be that strong to last two years. He willed himself through it. It was an incredible, incredible journey.'
An estimated 5,600 Americans annually develop ALS, a degenerative neuromuscular disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Few patients live more than five years after being diagnosed.
'Without sailing, I don't know where I'd be,' Scandone said after winning the gold medal.
Born March 4, 1966, in Santa Ana, Scandone grew up in Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley. He learned to sail when his mother gave him a choice of summer school or a sailing program at the Balboa Yacht Club."
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