Naman Shrestha
The co-author of ‘The Unbreakable Boy: A Father’s Fear, a Son’s Courage, and a Story of Unconditional Love,’ Scott LeRette, was born and brought up in Red Oak, Iowa, where he became a father to Austin LeRette. When his son was diagnosed with a genetic bone disorder called osteogenesis imperfecta, autism, and several heart defects, he stood by him as his rock and fulfilled his responsibility as a father. While Austin was in his teens, Scott had already started writing down fragments of their experiences as a family for his own “self-diagnosed therapy,” not knowing that it would culminate into a book one day.
About a decade after the launch, the memoir became the source of inspiration for the film titled ‘The Unbreakable Boy,’ directed by Jon Gunn. This allowed Scott to meet and greet several Hollywood celebrities. He claimed that the filmmaker used to be in touch with him and his family almost every day during the making. In the biographical drama, Zachary Levi portrays Scott LeRette as the narrative focuses primarily on his relationship with Austin and how the family copes with several hurdles along the way.
Scott LeRette is a Man of Many Hats
Scott LeRette might be a household name today, but he did tread a long and hard path to reach where he is today. After graduating from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 1985, he pursued Business Studies at the University of Oklahoma. Interested in serving the nation, he then became a member of the US Navy’s Aviation Officer Candidate School and eventually served as a Radar Intercept Officer and Naval Aviator. About a year and a half later, he got discharged from the US Navy and took up a job as a Senior Sales Executive at Allergan Inc. in May 1991.
Scott switched to Synchrony Financial, where he has been employed as the Product Development Manager since January 2007. Reports suggest that he also used to work as a sales executive for GE Capital. For several years, he focused on penning the book to raise awareness about the topic of special needs, which ultimately went on to change his life for the better. It was in 2014 that he finally published ‘The Unbreakable Boy: A Father’s Fear, a Son’s Courage, and a Story of Unconditional Love,’ and about a decade later, Jon Gunn made a movie based on the book while Scott served as one of the producers.
Scott LeRette’s Life Revolves Around His Loving Wife and Sons
Scott LeRette is a family man through and through. While he hasn’t shared details about how he met the love of his life, Teresa, we do know that the two tied the knot sometime around the mid-1990s. Over thirty years of togetherness, the two have built a beautiful life for themselves and their two kids, Austin and Logan, in Papillion, Nebraska. The couple make a very strong team and have braved the ups and downs of life through mutual trust, respect, emotional understanding, and shedloads of love. Scott and Teresa, who works as an Arbonne Independent Consultant, have always prioritized their relationship as they navigated the marital and medical challenges that they encountered on their journey as a couple and parents.
For the uninitiated, Teresa has Osteogenesis Imperfecta (brittle bone disease), the genetic bone disorder Austin had been diagnosed with. Alongside that, the latter also has autism and multiple heart defects, which did make things difficult for the family since he was quite young. However, the Lerettes managed to deal with all the obstacles with resilience and cooperation. Over the years, Scott has covered many snippets from their extraordinary life, especially Austin’s journey, in the blog titled Austintistic. He is very proud of the close-knit bond they possess and embraces each of the shared experiences with gratitude, love, and a tinge of humor. Aside from Austin and Logan, who is an Omaha Police Officer today, Scott remains equally devoted to their two Cavalier King Charles Spaniel companions, CocoPuff and Gracie-goo.
Scott LeRette Strongly Advocates For Better Services For Adults With Autism
Scott realized pretty soon that Austin, lovingly referred to as “The AuzMan,” was going to lead a not-so-ordinary lifestyle. Therefore, he did everything in his power to ensure his courageous son steered through the same with strength. In a conversation with People, Scott stressed the importance of the message he wanted to impart to the world through their story. He stated that people need to curb their judgments and open up their hearts while embracing people with special needs. “The world in general, our country needs so much help with services because when a child turns 18 or 21 (for) special needs, the services tend to just disappear —I mean, overnight. Boom. Stop. Period. They’re gone,” Scott said, explaining the need to have better services for adults with special needs.
Since Austin is 30 years old as of today, Scott admitted they are facing difficulties mapping out a plan that suits his future needs. “He’s 30 years old, but it’s probably more challenging than it was 20 years ago, easily,” Scott said. “I wouldn’t trade it. I always say he’s got more love in his heart than any ten people combined, and he does. Being his father is extremely rewarding, and its a lot of work too, as is any parent though,” he told WOWT. In the same interview with People, Scott further added, “In terms of even semi-independent living, it’s so hard, and he wants that more than we do,” LeRette says. “He’s 30. He’ll never drive — and it’s not because he couldn’t physically do it, but it’s because he would fall in love with the song on the radio and he’d crash. People need services. It’s a challenge.”
Scott LeRette is a Devout Individual and an Avid Sports Fan
Apart from prioritizing his family, Scott LeRette also gives time to his hobbies and interests. Back in the day, he reportedly used to be the one to beat at chess and was part of a band where he played acoustic guitar. The father of two likely still plays video games and electronic board games, something he loved to do earlier as well. He also follows various sports, including basketball, football, baseball, and even ice hockey. Except for the Oklahoma Sooners, his fanatics are reserved for sports teams representing Boston, such as the Boston Sox, Boston Bruins, and Boston Celtics.
Being a religious individual, Scott is also heavily involved with his church activities, never missing out on any opportunity to contribute. For his birthday in October 2024, he went to The Drover for dinner with his wife. As the premiere of ‘The Unbreakable Boy’ was approaching, in December 2024, he attended the CCCA Meeting in Seattle, where he took part in a Q&A session in a room full of people.
