Former Shriners Children’s Patient Hannah Dederick Continues Spokane Wheelchair Racing Legacy

Former Shriners Children’s Spokane patient Hannah Dederick is following in the footsteps of her mentor and wheelchair racing legend Susannah Scaroni, who received care at the same hospital in the nonprofit healthcare system.

Dederick, just 21 years old, is aiming to qualify for her second Paralympics this summer in three events including the 100-meter, 400 and 800.

Dederick was born in China with spina bifida before being adopted from an orphanage and coming to the United States. After living in Alabama for several years, she moved to Spokane in 2012 and became a patient at Shriners Children’s Spokane a year later. She received her first surgery, a femur rotation, at the hospital in 2018. While receiving treatment there, Dederick also learned about parasports and the well-regarded ParaSport Spokane program when she was 10 years old.

“Shriners Children’s was definitely a welcoming experience and environment,” Dederick said. “I’ve never been to a more diverse children’s hospital; there were kids there who had physical disabilities of all kinds. I wasn’t interested when they introduced parasports at first, but I decided I would try it out two years later at the age of 12. I love racing and the continuous process that comes with this sport. I didn’t know I was good enough until 2017 when I compared my times to the world ranking list along with the veterans who have been racing for so long. Afterward, I started to be more competitive and battled for the top spots at the highest level. In the end, that’s when I knew this was something I could really pursue."

Dederick went on to compete in the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics and placed fourth in the 100 and 11th in the 400. Since then, she moved to Illinois to train with the legendary University of Illinois wheelchair racing team, where Scaroni also trains, in preparation for the 2024 and 2028 Paralympics. Dederick said training with another former Shriners Children’s patient and all-time wheelchair racer has been incredible, motivating her to continue to chase bigger aspirations and goals. On May 5, Dederick honored Scaroni’s legacy by winning the Bloomsday race in Spokane, an event Scaroni has won multiple times, including the previous three races before this year.

“It’s been so fulfilling to get to train with Susannah full-time now,” Dederick said. “She’s been such a big mentor of mine since I started racing. Being able to have a mentor like Susannah has been really special to me, as we came from the same state and adaptive program. To continue to support and encourage each other to reach our own endeavors has meant so much to me. She is such a light and brings so much integrity as an athlete and person. Susannah has raced Bloomsday for so many years and has secured many wins as well.

“Taking the Bloomsday win for the first time this year was a moment I will never forget. I definitely made Spokane and Susannah proud. Part of competing is being able to show patients at Shriners Children's that any kind of goal or aspiration you set to chase is definitely possible. With the right community you surround yourself with, and knowing that you're capable of doing so much more, the opportunities are endless for you. Competing at the highest level really motivates and inspires patients there to see potential in themselves. They’ve been a huge part of my inspiration as an athlete.”

The Paralympic Trials were July 18-21 in Miramar, Florida. Dederick said the hardest part of wheelchair racing is believing in yourself and having confidence, but that is something she’s improved upon over the last few years following her continued success.