An 11-year NBA veteran and the emergency transplant that saved his life

LAST OCTOBER, SEVEN months aft a bosom transplant saved his life, 11-year NBA seasoned Scot Pollard was backmost successful the hospital. But this time, the sojourn was not for him.

Ozzy Pollard, the 3rd of his 4 children, was a elder and played choky extremity for the precocious schoolhouse team. Midway done the season, he'd injured his ACL and meniscus and needed an cognition to repair both.

The Pollards were good prepared to negociate the accent of surgery; Scot had spent the past 3 years warring familial bosom disease.

During his playing days astatine the University of Kansas, and his clip successful the NBA, Scot became thing of a cult favourite crossed the league, gaining the adoration of fans for his one-of-a-kind personality, carousel of flamboyant hairstyles and dogged competitiveness.

More than a decennary into retirement, though, Scot's tone dilatory faded, his days taken up by doctor's visits, tests and questions.

At 48 years old, a antheral who conscionable a fewer years agone had been a nationalist look of highest carnal mightiness and information was successful progressive bosom failure.

"I bash retrieve feeling like, 'If this is it, I'm going to beryllium OK,'" helium said. "'But if it's not, I've got a batch to do."

He paused.

"I'm truly gladsome I person a batch to do.'"

Scot received a caller bosom connected February 16, 2024.

Organ donation operates nether a strict modular of anonymity. Neither donor household nor recipient is provided details astir the other, unless the transplant diligent chooses to initiate interaction pursuing the procedure.

Scot spent 5 months reflecting connected his transplant acquisition earlier deciding to nonstop a missive to his anonymous donor family.

In it, helium called his donor a hero.

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'E60' afloat trailer: 'Heart of Pearl'

In February 2024, erstwhile NBA subordinate Scot Pollard experienced cardiogenic shock, and an unprecedented all-access travel to prevention his beingness began.

My sanction is Scot, helium wrote. I unrecorded successful Indiana and I'm penning this missive to explicit excavation and my family's unending appreciation for your loved one's acquisition of life. My wife, myself, our 4 children, our extended household and friends are each everlastingly grateful!

He continued.

We would emotion the accidental to conscionable astatine immoderate constituent if you're amenable to that idea. We privation to fto you cognize that your loved one's bosom is going to beryllium loved and cared for and volition springiness emotion back.

We person already begun raising donor consciousness successful our assemblage and are going nationwide. I've already connected with aggregate donor networks successful assorted communities to assistance them successful promoting becoming a donor.

Your loved 1 is our leader and helium volition unrecorded connected everlastingly done maine and our efforts of getting much radical to beryllium selfless heroes similar him.

If you don't consciousness comfy responding, I wholly understand. I conscionable wanted you to cognize my lifelong appreciation for him. He genuinely is my hero.

Scot passed the missive connected to his hospital, which past passed it connected to the donor's hospital, which past passed it connected to the donor's family.

It was up to them to determine however they wanted to reply, oregon if they wanted to astatine all.

"I tin precise overmuch recognize however a batch of radical would say, 'I don't privation to cognize that idiosyncratic that got a kidney, oregon lungs, oregon eyes. It's conscionable excessively much,'" Scot said. "And truthful the transplant programs prep you for that, that astir radical bash not respond."

Days passed, past weeks. His hopes to perceive backmost from the household who saved him dimmed.

Three months aft he'd sent his letter, arsenic his household sat successful the infirmary with Ozzy, Scot checked his email.

They'd written him back.

ON FEBRUARY 6, 2024, Scot Pollard was dying.

The time before, helium and his wife, Dawn, had arrived astatine the Vanderbilt University Medical Center successful Nashville, Tennessee, for a three-day bosom transplant evaluation.

Scot had already been registered connected transplant lists successful Indianapolis and Chicago. He was aiming to get connected the database successful Nashville -- 300 miles southbound of the Pollards' Carmel, Indiana, location -- hoping different transplant portion meant a greater accidental for a match.

Dr. Jonathan Menachem, a cardiologist astatine the hospital, placed his hands connected Scot's wrist.

"Your pulse is slow," helium told him. "Is it ever beauteous slow?"

Scot past laid down connected a bed, wherever Menachem took his stethoscope and placed it connected Scot's chest.

"Do you get abbreviated of enactment conscionable laying similar this?" helium asked him.

Scot closed his eyes and nodded.

"Seeing idiosyncratic laic down similar that and getting truthful abbreviated of enactment that speedy is concerning," Menachem said.

Scot was successful end-stage bosom failure. He was admitted to the intensive attraction unit, and an exigency hunt for a transplant began.

"He was filled with fluid and didn't person capable humor travel going astir his body," Menachem said. "They thought they were going location to Indiana.

"We looked astatine each other," Menachem said of him and his workfellow arsenic they reviewed Scot's prognosis. "We were like, 'This feline cannot spell home.'"

Scot's bosom was failing. He'd been suffering from cardiomyopathy, a illness that makes it hard for the bosom musculus to pump. With much strain connected the muscle, and much humor required for his ample frame, helium weakened by the day.

"I'm truly attached to this heart," helium said successful the hospital. "I consciousness similar it's the champion one. That's the 1 I was calved with. And the biggest fearfulness is that the adjacent 1 isn't going to beryllium bully enough."

As helium prepared for further tests, assorted nodes were attached to his thorax and fingers, a bosom monitor's looming beeps serving arsenic a second-by-second reminder of what was to come.

"I'm not truly frightened of anything," Scot said. "Now, erstwhile you're sitting here, waiting for a caller heart, the chartless tin beryllium terrifying."

SCOT INHERITED HIS tallness from his father, Pearl, who stood astatine 6-foot-8. And erstwhile helium was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, helium realized that was inherited, too.

In 1952, Pearl's begetter moved the household from Montana to Utah with the anticipation of making his lad a boxer. But, arsenic Scot tells it, the hoops manager got to Pearl first.

Pearl played halfway for Jordan High School, conscionable southbound of Salt Lake City, and was rapidly christened "Poison" Pollard for his deadly hook shot. He won back-to-back authorities precocious schoolhouse championships with the Beetdiggers, mounting the authorities tourney scoring grounds successful 1955.

Earlier that year, helium appeared alongside Wilt Chamberlain successful a Life mag dispersed featuring the tallest precocious schoolhouse hoops players successful the country.

Pearl went connected to play for the University of Utah from 1956 done 1959 and was the team's starring scorer for the 1958-59 season.

"He was a elephantine of a antheral successful each azygous mode possible," Scot said.

When Scot was 12, the household moved from Utah to San Diego, wherever helium archetypal noticed his father's wellness statesman to decline. Three years later, Pearl was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, astatine the property of 53. He was enactment connected the bosom transplant database but needed an organ donor akin successful size.

Given his towering height, uncovering 1 would beryllium astir impossible.

"We knew it was a decease sentence," Scot, who was the youngest of six children, said. "I was conscionable thinking, 'God, I'm going to turn up without a dad.'"

One greeting successful October 1991, Scot was making his mode up from the formation aft surfing successful gym class. Pearl happened to thrust by successful his white, city-issued pickup motortruck and stopped for a speedy chat with his son.

A fewer hours later, Scot received a telephone telephone from a friend. He said Pearl's motortruck had crashed into a state nine parking batch and paramedics were connected the scene.

Pearl had suffered a bosom onslaught down the wheel.

He died connected the transplant list.

Scot was 16. He was the past of his household to spot his begetter alive.

SCOT NEVER FORGOT his father's fate. Following a steadfast playing career, helium continued to cheque his bosom regularly.

In January 2021, helium visited the doc for an yearly physical. This appointment, similar each the others earlier it, went without concern.

One period later, though, Scot received a flu shot, and helium says doctors judge it released a "genetic anomaly" that triggered his bosom failure.

"A mates days later, I got the flu," Scot said, "and it attacked my heart. I couldn't locomotion crossed the room."

"We're ne'er going to cognize for definite what happened," Menachem said, "but helium intelligibly was predisposed to having a bosom that was not going to relation good for his full life."

What came adjacent was an progressively frightening three-year agelong of appointments and treatments and infirmary visits, culminating successful the realization that helium would request a bosom transplant to survive.

Doubt that he'd find one, and guilt that helium deserved one, overwhelmed him.

Someone would person to dice to springiness maine life.

Scot had experienced and lived much than most, helium thought: a meaningful assemblage hoops vocation that had led to an admirable NBA career, which had helped him physique his beloved household and prosecute their dreams. Surely determination were stronger candidates for this accidental astatine life-saving surgery.

Of the former, Dawn, too, was skeptical. But she needed to person her hubby of the fallacy of the latter, reminding him of his responsibilities arsenic a hubby and father, of however overmuch they inactive had to live.

He listened -- and yet agreed.

"How situation I adjacent deliberation astir doing the aforesaid happening to my kids that my dada unintentionally did to me?" Scot thought.

"He didn't privation maine to turn up without a dada to beryllium determination and thatch [me]," Ozzy said. "And I emotion him for that."

The adjacent measurement was uncovering a bosom beardown capable to enactment his body.

"You can't enactment a Ford Festiva motor successful an F-150 and deliberation it's going to enactment well," Menachem said.

While Pearl died waiting for a same-sized donor, Scot had hope. Medical exertion had precocious to let for greater saltation successful size.

On Scot's 49th birthday, his sixth time successful the Vanderbilt Intensive Care Unit, helium received connection of a imaginable donor. He called household members to the hospital. He shaved his caput and beard successful mentation for the surgery.

But doctors determined the prospective bosom wouldn't beryllium viable.

Another enactment arose soon after.

That, too, was declined.

PAMELA ANGELL AND Megan Tyra were sitting successful a infirmary successful East Texas erstwhile they were told they had 14 days to marque the astir devastating determination of their lives.

Pamela's husband, Casey, had been intubated, nary longer capable to respire connected his own.

Casey and Pamela had met successful 2009 portion moving astatine Walmart. He was idiosyncratic who could "talk a stranger's receptor off," she says, and helium often did.

When Pamela was large with their son, William, Casey recovered a caller presumption arsenic a forklift operator. But vulnerability to elements connected the occupation -- successful summation to a past of smoking -- had taken a toll. In February 2024, a bout of pneumonia had sent the 45-year-old to the hospital, wherever helium drifted successful and retired of consciousness.

Days went by. Then a week. Then more. Angell had failed to amusement immoderate signs of betterment -- oregon life. On time 11, Pamela and Megan, Casey's sister, made the determination to fto him go.

Shortly after, the hospital's organ donation liaison approached them.

"He said, 'Look, guys, Casey had a truly large heart,'" Megan said.

"Yeah, we know," Megan's husband, Clint, responded.

"He said, 'No, man, you don't understand. He physically had a large heart.'" Megan said. "And I'm like, 'Is that important?'

He's like, 'Oh yeah, that's important.'"

Angell was a hearty 5-foot-11. In 1991, that would not person been ample capable to prevention Pearl Pollard. But successful 2024, it would beryllium ample capable to prevention Scot.

Pamela and Megan agreed to the anonymous process of organ donation -- and watched Angell's bosom permission the hospital.

"You're losing your champion friend," Pamela said, "but idiosyncratic other is gaining your champion friend, successful a way."

On the greeting of February 16, arsenic Angell's bosom traveled from Texas to Tennessee, Vanderbilt unit began to hole Scot for transplant surgery.

Physicians gathered the endless tubes and wires tethering him to his infirmary room, and rearranged them for the abbreviated travel to the operating room.

Amid the dependable heart-monitor beeps, Scot began his goodbyes.

"Who's my favourite 4th kid?" Scot said, hugging his youngest child, Icean.

"Me?" Icean said.

Scot leaned in. "That's right," helium said, putting the brace forehead to forehead. "You."

Then Dawn took her husband's caput successful her hands and bent implicit the furniture for a kiss. "I emotion you," she said, smiling done her tears.

"I emotion you forever," Scot said, moving his fingers done her long, acheronian hair. "I emotion you forever," she told him.

Scot was pushed done the halls of the hospital, Dawn pursuing arsenic acold arsenic she was allowed. She squeezed her husband's manus earlier helium passed done a acceptable of treble doors, beyond her grasp.

"I was thinking, 'OK, what if helium doesn't aftermath up?' she said later. "That's erstwhile it yet deed me."

"I was reasoning what beingness would perchance beryllium similar ... without him."

Just aft 11 a.m., Scot was taken into surgery.

At 1:08 p.m., a achromatic SUV pulled into the Adult Emergency Entrance astatine the hospital. In the trunk, doctors pulled retired a achromatic cooler and raced inside. Inside a smaller integrative instrumentality was Angell's heart.

At 1:16, doctors removed Scot's bosom from his body.

"Now, there's nary bosom successful there," said Dr. Ashish Shah, 1 of the bosom surgeons who performed the operation. "There's a giant, gaping hole, and erstwhile that aged bosom came out, you spot an enormous, unhappy organ."

Thirteen minutes later, his caller bosom was sewn successful and humor was restored to it.

By 5 p.m., the process was complete.

"In immoderate respects," Shah said, "it was conscionable the close bosom for him."

ONE MID-OCTOBER EVENING past year, Scot and Dawn stood connected the sideline of the Carmel High School shot field. It was elder night. As the prima acceptable down the stands, they waited to perceive Ozzy's sanction called.

It was conscionable 2 weeks aft his genu operation, truthful helium couldn't play, but Ozzy walked crossed the tract successful celebration, his dada by his side.

"It's similar I person my dada backmost from erstwhile I was younger," Ozzy said.

Yet the Pollards are keenly alert that their relief, their joy, had travel astatine an tremendous expense.

On the time of Ozzy's surgery, wrong the infirmary room, Scot checked his email. And determination it was, the effect helium truthful hoped he'd get.

As soon arsenic Pamela received Scot's letter, she called Megan and they decided to constitute back, funny successful learning much astir the antheral carrying Casey's bosom -- and sharing much astir the antheral from whom it came.

Scot work the missive aloud.

Dear Scot, convey you truthful overmuch for reaching retired to us.

Scot, you warmed our hearts with your benignant words concerning your donor, who was loved beyond measure. February 16, 2024, was an incredibly hard time for those of america that loved your donor, Casey.

When we knew that we were going to person to fto him go, and were approached astir organ donation, determination was ne'er a intermission oregon a uncertainty that Casey would person wanted to help.

So the reply was simple, and it was a yes.

Scot's dependable began to break.

He continued to read.

Casey was a loving husband, dad, uncle, and the champion babe member anyone could inquire for. Even though helium was the baby, helium towered implicit america all.

Thank you for caring for that large bosom of his. And we are grateful to cognize helium is loved and volition proceed to springiness love. It means the satellite to us. He has inspired radical successful his ain household to donate and beryllium a leader similar him.

And we, arsenic his family, though small, would emotion to conscionable you whenever you are acceptable to bash so.

Megan wrote that Angell was a "gentle giant" who was ever blessed to assistance those successful need. "We are blessed to cognize that adjacent successful our top calamity we stayed existent to who helium was," she wrote, "and we are truthful gladsome that due to the fact that of our hero, you tin proceed to beryllium a blessing to your household and others."

The families archetypal spoke connected the telephone connected November 9, connected what would person been Angell's 46th birthday. After exchanging texts, they decided to conscionable successful person.

On March 17, 2025, Scot and Dawn were successful Lindale, Texas, a tiny municipality astir 90 miles eastbound of Dallas.

As the brace stepped retired of their edifice room, Dawn took her husband's hand.

"Ready?" she asked softly, smiling up astatine him. "Ready," helium responded.

Hand-in-hand, they walked down the hallway toward the country wherever Angell's household was waiting.

As they turned the last corner, they spotted the household done an unfastened door, breaking into tense laughter earlier exchanging hugs with Pamela, William, Megan and Clint.

"Hi, gang," Scot said, earlier helium and Dawn extended their arms.

Scot learned William was 12 erstwhile his begetter died, and that helium was "the emotion of [his father's] life."

"We're grateful that Scot's here, with Casey's heart," Pamela said. "And William has different idiosyncratic to look up to, arsenic a begetter figure."

William told stories of their afternoons unneurotic fishing, oregon watching fearfulness movies, describing his dada arsenic gentle and a giant, too. Casey and Scot some had dragon tattoos, William's Japanese zodiac sign.

"There was a transportation determination that I felt," Scot said. "I cognize however that feels arsenic a child, to suffer your father."

"You look similar your dad," Dawn told William.

"Copy and pasted, that's however we enactment it," Megan replied.

Pamela showed Dawn and Scot Casey's wedding ring, which she wears connected a concatenation astir her neck, and shared the communicative of however they met. Megan explained that portion she and Casey had different siblings, the 2 of them were the closest.

"He was my bubba," she said.

Before leaving for luncheon together, Pamela took retired a stethoscope she'd brought.

Scot stood and unbuttoned his garment portion Pamela positioned it close connected his chest.

As she listened to the beating bosom wrong of him, her eyes filled with tears.

Megan went next. "My turn," she said.

She softly placed the stethoscope conscionable to the close of a lengthy, vertical scar, a lasting reminder of what was fixed -- and what was lost.

With Scot looking down astatine her, she bowed her caput and listened.

"Hey, Bubba," she said, weeping.

ON MEMORIAL DAY weekend, nether sunny skies, the Pollards, Angells, and Tyras sailed done the streets of downtown Indianapolis, waving to an enthusiastic crowd.

A twelvemonth aft Scot's transplant, helium had been named expansive marshal of the Indy 500 Festival Parade and invited his bosom donor's household to articulation him connected the float.

It had been lone a fewer months since their archetypal in-person meeting, but Megan says getting to cognize the Pollards has helped her household heal. Today, astatine 50, Scot is doing well, but his aboriginal is fraught with unpredictability.

He's the tallest transplant recipient successful the past of Vanderbilt's Medical Center, and doctors aren't definite however his beingness volition progress. Still, immoderate uncertainty had coursed done Scot anterior to the country has present diminished entirely.

"The information that I get to beryllium Dad for arsenic agelong arsenic I tin was wholly worthy it," helium said.

While Scot says his doctors bash not deliberation the caller bosom volition beryllium affected by the familial disorder, they bash judge his children are astatine hazard of bosom disease.

But successful the meantime, helium volition beryllium determination to enactment them connected their ain journeys. Ozzy, 17, volition soon statesman his freshman twelvemonth astatine Marian University, a schoolhouse conscionable 30 minutes from home. Icean, 9, volition participate 4th people successful the fall.

And successful Texas, William, 13, plans to play for the inferior precocious shot team, conscionable similar his dad.

Fate fused the paths of the Pollards and the Angells -- each, successful their ain way, helping the different mend.

"What we anticipation for moving forward," Scot said, "is conscionable that I tin support surviving a bully beingness due to the fact that of their gift."

As Megan looked retired astatine the cheering crowd, she thought of Casey.

"It's an grant to fto everyone cognize however arrogant we are of him, and who helium was, and what a bully antheral helium was," she said of her brother. "We miss him each day, but Scot helps with that."

ESPN E60's Jeremy Schaap, Dan Lindberg, and John Minton contributed to this story.