Muscle Memory digital Apr/May 2018 | Page 49

as they screamed across south central Ontario to Hamilton. “I thought I was going to die,” says Scott. After arriving at Hamilton General, an MRI exam was per- formed and revealed more specifically the cause of the symptoms: a tumour was found near his pineal gland and cer- ebellum. Scott had sur- gery at 6:00 a.m. the next morning, and over the course of a month he’d have four more surgeries to carefully remove as much of the tumour as possible and insert a shunt. In less than one month, Scott lost 60 pounds, shrinking from a formidable bodybuild- er of 230 pounds down to just 170. FITNESS TO THE RESCUE “I have no doubt that bodybuilding saved my life,” says Scott. “The doctors all said that I was very lucky to be stronger than an ox and not have the whole thing affect me as badly as it otherwise would.” Fortunately, another series of follow-up tests showed that the tumour was non-malignant. By April of 2009, Scott began a course of radiation therapy which lasted six weeks. While such a program of treat- ment would exhaust the average person, Scott’s strength from bodybuilding once again worked to his advantage. He went for follow- up MRIs every three months, which consis- tently showed that the tumour was shrinking. By the summer of 2010, it was completely gone. Since receiving this great news, Scott was still not out of the woods yet. He nonetheless had to struggle with reha- bilitation which took the entire year of 2010. But an unfazed spirit is an in- surmountable spirit. Scott got back on that horse of training for bodybuilding and in November 2011 he won a Heavyweight competition. “Life throws us curves to see how strong we are, and how capable we are of handling hard work,” says Scott. “After four brain operations and a long time healing, I can honestly say that bodybuilding saved my life not just once, but twice – it gave me a purpose.” “LIFE THROWS US CURVES TO SEE HOW STRONG WE ARE, AND HOW CAPABLE WE ARE OF HANDLING HARD WORK.” SCOTT COOK A HERO WHO GIVES BACK As someone who likes to go above and beyond, Scott also took it upon himself to give back to the community which had supported his rehabilita- tion. He co-founded an entity called “Mo-Muscle” in 2012, which ran three successful bodybuilding competitions in support of the same charities that helped Scott. In all, he managed to raise $100,000 and was picked up by Fu- sion Bodybuilding supple- ments as a partner. While Mo-Muscle eventually disbanded, Scott to this day is resolved to get back to another circumstance where he can organize bodybuilding events for charity. “I want to continue to share,” says Scott. “The lesson from all of this is never to give up and always help others when you can.” SUPER SCOTT Age: 34 Born: Kitchener, ON Resides: Kitchener, ON Height: 5 foot 9 Weight (Off-Season): 205 pounds Weight (Competition): 215 pounds Ambition: Budding Motivational Speaker Highest Placing: Heavyweight Champion, 2011 KW Oktoberfest Natural Classic Favourite Cheat Food: Pastries, Cookies SCOTT’S PHILOSOPHY: “WHEN IT COMES TO TRAINING, PAIN WILL ALWAYS BE THERE. IT’S HOW YOU HANDLE IT HEAD ON, AND THEN OVERCOME IT.” MUSCLEMEMORYMAG.COM 47