Three months shy of his 34th birthday, Scott David Hyslop had already outlived most adult cystic fibrosis patients when he and two others died Thursday in a fatal helicopter crash near Mancos.
The disease, typically diagnosed in infants or toddlers, went undiscovered in Hyslop until he was 17. It explained the recurring respiratory illnesses that plagued Hyslop but that had never stopped him from playing in soccer leagues and on the Arapahoe High School football team.
With his doctors’ guarded consent, Hyslop decided to combine the conventional treatment for cystic fibrosis enzyme supplements, antibiotics and physical therapy with his own rigorous aerobic routine of mountain biking, hiking, skiing and mountaineering.
He knew he was lucky compared with many cystic fibrosis patients. He also knew the disease’s grim prognosis.
“He packed the most life into every single day, knowing his life might well be shorter,” said his mother, Mary Sue Hyslop.
“He really focused his life on the things he wanted to do, rather than what his body was capable of doing. He taught our whole family about strength and courage and faith, just watching him live his life.”
Hyslop revised his career plans to be a doctor. Aware that his disease would prohibit the exhausting long hours that a resident physician’s schedule demands, he decided instead to be a paramedic.
During his studies at the University of Iowa Medical School, he met Elizabeth Ceilley, then a student physician. They married in 1996.
When they moved to Durango, Scott Hyslop became qualified as a firefighter and a paramedic with the local fire and rescue department. Though his weakened lungs prohibited him from fighting fires, he knew that the bulk of a firefighter’s calls involved emergency medical situations.
The disease presented problems when the Hyslops decided to become parents. Adoption agencies became squeamish upon learning Scott Hyslop’s medical history. At last, the Hyslops arranged an open adoption. They brought Dylan home less than 72 hours after he was born.
When Hyslop wasn’t working or with his family, he exercised himself as pitilessly as an elite athlete. He propelled his mountain bike up the steep single-track trails threading the mountains near Durango. He pushed his limits on the ski slopes and on hiking trails until his mother worried aloud.
“He told me, ‘If I have to die at an earlier time in my life, then I’d rather die on the side of a mountain than even think about dying in a hospital bed,”‘ his mother recalled.
A memorial service will be held at noon today at the Durango High School football field.
Besides his wife and son, survivors include his parents, Mary Sue and David Hyslop of Centennial; and a brother, Rob Hyslop of Evergreen.
Staff writer Claire Martin can be reached at 303-820-1477 or cmartin@denverpost.com.
