THE LAST WORD:

Lou Gehrig’s disease had robbed Nick Scandone’s use of his legs.

Still, the longtime Balboa Yacht Club member wanted to compete in September’s Paralympics Regatta. Not only did he bring home the gold, but Scandone and his sailing partner, Maureen McKinnon-Tucker, also clinched the medal in the next-to-last race. But of course they hit the water again for that last race in Qingdao, China, anyway.

“It was bittersweet. This is what he had to live for,” Nick’s wife, Mary Kate said. “It took every ounce of him to do this. I don’t think people really realized how hard it was for him to do this. He had the courage and got up as much strength as he could and made it happen.”

We lost Nick Scandone this month. He was just 42, this onetime national champion sailor with the UCI team in 1988. Faced with the terrible, debilitating disease, Scandone did not give up. He just heightened his focus and threw himself into his passion.

He wasn’t just a great sailor. He was a great example — of courage and determination.