Scot Pollard, NBA Participant and Survivor Alum, Gets Emotional After Heart Transplant
NBA alum Scot Pollard, who competed on Survivor in 2015, shared his trudge of getting a heart transplant and assembly his donor's family.
Scot Pollard owes his survival to 1 particular particular person.
The Survivor alum—who competed on the CBS imprint from 2015 to 2016—shared that he got a heart transplant in February 2024 and became once just no longer too lengthy previously in a situation to meet his donor's family to thank them in particular person as phase of an emotional ESPN documentary Heart of Pearl.
Scot—who performed with for the Sacramento Kings and the Indiana Pacers in the NBA for 11 years—became once identified with cardiomyopathy, a genetic heart illness, after falling ailing in 2021.
“I'm in actuality hooked up to this heart,” he stated in the sanatorium, per an ESPN chronicle published June 15. “I in actuality feel cherish it's the true one. That's the one I became once born with. And the largest terror is that the next one isn't going to be gorgeous adequate.”
Certainly, the athlete became once declined for multiple transplants because he necessary the gorgeous match to toughen his 6-foot-11 body. As his doctor Jonathan Menachem explained, “You may't place a Ford Festiva engine in an F-150 and deem it's going to work successfully.”
Scot, now 50, struggled to strategy to phrases with his prognosis.
“I attain consider feeling cherish, 'If here is it, I'm going to be OK,'” he stated. “'But if it's no longer, I've bought quite a bit to attain.”
In the destroy, he became once matched with donor Casey Angell, who died at age Forty five after being intubated following a case of pneumonia.
“You're shedding your absolute top buddy,” his wife Pamela Angell suggested the outlet, “but somebody else is gaining your absolute top buddy, in a formulation.”
Truly, Scot's heart surgeon Dr. Ashish Shah notorious, “In some respects, it became once gorgeous the gorgeous heart for him.”
While Casey remained anonymous to him in the beginning, Scot in the destroy learned his donor’s identity by writing a letter to his family 5 months after his successful direction of by a program facilitated by his sanatorium.
“I are living in Indiana and I'm writing this letter to particular mine and my family's never-ending appreciation for the one you love's reward of lifestyles,” Scot wrote, per the display got by ESPN. “My wife, myself, our four young other folks, our prolonged family and chums are all forever grateful!”
“We would take care of the different to meet in some unspecified time in the future if you happen to're amenable to that thought,” his letter continued. “We want to let that the one you love's heart is going to be loved and cared for and might possibly also merely give take care of assist.”
Besides to sharing his work raising awareness for organ donors, Scot additionally praised the particular person that became once lost.
“The one which you love is our hero and he will are living on forever by me and our efforts of getting extra other folks to be selfless heroes cherish him,” he wrote. “While you don't in actuality feel tickled responding, I fully realize. I gorgeous necessary you to know my lifelong appreciation for him. He in actuality is my hero.”
The ragged basketball player got a response in October 2024 from Casey’s wife Pamela and his sister Megan Tyra.
“Scot, you warmed our hearts along with your form phrases pertaining to your donor, who became once loved past measure,” they wrote assist. “February 16, 2024, became once an extremely onerous day for those of us that loved your donor, Casey. After we knew that we had been going to contain to let him shuffle, and had been approached about organ donation, there became once never a discontinue or a doubt that Casey would contain essential to assist.”
“Casey became once a loving husband, dad, uncle, and the true toddler brother someone might possibly also place a spot a query to to for. Despite the proven fact that he became once the toddler, he towered over us all,” their message went on. “Thank you for caring for that fab heart of his. And we’re grateful to know he’s loved and might possibly also merely proceed to present take care of. It means the enviornment to us. He has impressed other folks in his family to donate and be a hero cherish him.”
They additionally agreed to meet in particular person, with Scot touring to admire them in Lindale, Texas, in March 2025.
“What we hope for shifting forward,” Scot suggested the outlet, “is gorgeous that I can preserve living an ideally suited lifestyles thanks to their reward.”
For additional celebrities who've unfolded about their health battles, read on.
Brian Austin Inexperienced
The Beverly Hills, 90210 alum published in April 2025 that he became once getting better from surgical treatment after his appendix virtually burst.
“Final week, I started feeling some effort in my stomach,” Brian stated in an Instagram video at the time. “I stopped up going to the emergency room, and I had a perforated appendix. No longer fairly burst, but gorgeous earlier than.”
He added, “I'm on the side street to recovery. It's no longer an straightforward direction of. Right here’s my first main surgical treatment.”
Adam Devine
Adam Devine shared that accidents he sustained after getting hit by a cement truck when he became once 11 years ancient are aloof affecting him to this day.
“It’s been a nightmare,” Devine stated in a 2025 episode of the In Depth With Graham Bensinger podcast. “I contain spasms at some stage in. For some time, [the doctors] suggested me I became once demise—actually, within this final twelve months.”
He notorious that effort comes and goes, including, “My body has all these devices that are barely of wonky and barely of injurious with it.”
Jason Tartick's Support Damage
The Bachelor Nation alum shared that he went to the sanatorium “crawling on all fours” because of overwhelming assist effort that became once aggravated right by an RV time out with a chum.
“Correct now, knees to my toes, it’s, cherish, aloof tingly, which is crazy,” he stated on a March 2025 episode of his Trading Secrets and ways podcast. “And to put in standpoint, I don’t know, man, cherish no longer to sound douchey, but cherish two, three weeks previously, possibly a month previously, I became once squatting doubtlessly cherish 295 kilos. And beautiful now, I can’t attain a squat on my foot. I can’t attain a one legged squat, I fall. It’s cherish I had a stroke or one thing.”
But with the assist of a assist specialist and some steroids, he added, “We’re on the mend.”
Casey Fitzgerald's Neck Damage From Hockey Skate Blade
The AHL player became once sever by a fellow player's skate right by a sport in December 2024 and got 25 stitches. His father, Unique Jersey Devils overall manager Tom Fitzgerald later suggested ESPN after his son became once fully recovered, “We're very lucky. I don't wish that on any mother or father.”
Matt Kirschenheiter's Heart Attack
Accurate Housewives of Orange County’s Gina Kirschenheiter shared her ex-husband Matt Kirschenheiter suffered a heart assault in March 2025, but thankfully survived the ordeal.
Tracy Morgan's Scientific Emergency
The 30 Rock well-known particular person suffered a health scare at a Unique York Knicks basketball sport in March 2025, leading to him being wheeled out of Madison Sq. Backyard.
On the opposite hand, the comic shared an replace on social media the following day, noting it became once a case of food poisoning and that he became once on the mend.
Christy Carlson Romano's Assume Damage
The Even Stevens alum shared in February 2025 that she became once shot in the face while on a time out to shoot clay pigeons to contain an ideally suited time husband Brendan Rooney's birthday.
“There became once one more acquire along with us and so they unsafely fired in the injurious direction and shot me in the face,” she wrote on Instagram. “@thebrendanrooney in an instant sprung into motion, assessed me, and rushed me to the sanatorium. I became once hit in 5 locations, one became once less than an trudge from hitting me directly in my gorgeous peep.”
The Kim Probably alum continued, “Sadly a fragment bought lodged at the assist of my peep and it is too unhealthy to get rid of surgically right now. Scientific doctors will proceed to video display me (I can stare customarily for the time being).”
The actress stated she became once grateful to be alive. “I take care of my daughters, husband, family, and chums so powerful,” she stated. “I saw my lifestyles flash earlier than my eyes and I’m telling you, hug the other folks around you each likelihood which that you just can. Life can commerce in an fast.”
Amy Schumer’s Cushing Syndrome
While the web isn't continuously a form field, Amy Schumer is delighted that, on this case, it helped her acquire answers.
“The web in actuality came for me after doing a bunch of press, and I became once cherish, 'OK each person, relax,'” Amy recalled of her “puffier” face on a January 2025 episode of Call Her Daddy. “But then doctors had been chiming in in the comments and so they had been cherish, 'No no, we deem one thing’s in actuality up. Your face looks to be so crazy that we deem one thing’s up. And I’m cherish, ‘Wait, I’m getting trolled by doctors?’”
After these doctors stated they knowing she had Cushing syndrome and that it will seemingly be introduced about by spiking coritsol phases or steroid injections, the Life & Beth creator knowing, “Wait, I contain been getting steroid injections in my scars.”
“I had a breast reduction, a C-part, no topic, and so I became once getting these steroid injections,” Amy stated. “So it gave me this thing known as Cushing syndrome, which I wouldn’t contain known if the web hadn’t strategy for me so onerous.”
Toda, Amy is gorgeous relieved she's OK. As she shared in a February 2024 Files No longer Noise e-newsletter, “Checking out I contain the extra or less Cushing that can gorgeous work itself out and I'm wholesome became once the splendid recordsdata that which that you just can deem of.”
Hailey Bieber's Blood Clot
Hailey Bieber had the “scariest moment” of her lifestyles when she became once having breakfast with husband Justin Bieber and began experiencing stroke-cherish signs in March 2022.
“Justin became once cherish, 'Are you OK?'” the Rhode skincare rich particular person shared a month in a while YouTube, “and I gorgeous didn't respond because I wasn't obvious. After which he asked me again and when I went to respond, I couldn't talk about. The gorgeous side of my face started drooping. I couldn't acquire a sentence out.”
While Hailey stated the facial drooping stopped and her speech came assist, she went to the sanatorium to earn obvious she became once OK.
“They did some scans and so they had been in a situation to admire that I had suffered a tiny blood clot to my mind,” the model added, “which they labeled and labeled as one thing known as a TIA [Transient Ischemic Attack].”
Later, Hailey went to the College of California, Los Angeles, the put she stumbled on out she had a hole in her heart known as a patent foramen ovale (PFO).
She explained the blood clot had traveled into her heart, “escaped” by the outlet and went to her mind, leading to the TIA.
Hailey stated she had a successful PFO closure direction of and became once now feeling extra special.
Justin Bieber's Ramsay Hunt Syndrome
The same twelve months Hailey had her health scare, Justin skilled one of his enjoy.
In June 2022, the “Exiguous one” singer shared he became once identified with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a condition that introduced about transient paralysis to parts of his face and compelled him to atomize the rest of his Justice World Tour.
“It is miles from this virus that assaults the nerve in my ear and my facial nerves and has introduced about my face to contain paralysis,” Justin explained in an Instagram video at the time. “As which that you just can stare, this peep is no longer blinking. I can't smile on this side of my face. This nostril won’t pass. So, there's beefy paralysis on this side of my face.”
Truly, he suggested his followers it had gotten “progressively extra difficult to utilize.” But after some time, the paralysis went away.
“He's doing in actuality successfully,” Hailey stated on a June 2022 episode of Splendid Morning The united states, later including, “He's feeling powerful better. Clearly, it became once gorgeous a truly frightening and random wretchedness to happen, but he's going to be fully OK and I'm gorgeous grateful that he's beautiful.”
Jamie Foxx's Mind Bleed & Stroke
While Jamie Foxx in the beginning saved considerable aspects of his April 2023 hospitalization non-public, he later unfolded about what he went by.
One day in Atlanta, “I became once having the kind of unpleasant headache, so I asked my boy, I stated, ‘Listen, I need an aspirin,’” the Oscar winner stated in his 2024 Netflix particular What Had Took field Became… “Ahead of I might possibly also acquire the Aspirin, I went out. I don’t consider 20 days.”
Jamie stated he became once in the beginning taken to a health care provider who gave him a cortisone shot after which despatched him house. On the opposite hand, his concerned sister Deidra Dixon then drove him to a sanatorium, the put they bought an resolution: He had a mind bleed that ended in a stroke.
Twenty days after undergoing an operation, the Django Unchained wakened Might well well 4 in a wheelchair and couldn’t stride. He then went to Chicago for rehabilitation and therapy.
“All I can dispute you is that I cherish every prayer,” he stated, “because I necessary every prayer.”
Emilia Clarke's Mind Aneurysm
Emilia Clarke filmed war scenes for Game of Thrones, but in 2019, she published an essay in The Unique Yorker titled “A Fight for My Life.”
Having a unpleasant headache at the gym, “I reached the lavatory, sank to my knees, and proceeded to be violently, voluminously ailing,” the actress wrote. “In the meantime, the effort—shooting, stabbing, constricting effort—became once getting worse. At some level, I knew what became once taking place: my mind became once damaged.”
She became once taken to the sanatorium for a mind scan.
“The prognosis became once immediate and ominous: a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), a lifestyles-threatening earn of stroke, introduced about by bleeding into the location surrounding the mind,” the Emmy nominee added. “I’d had an aneurysm, an arterial fracture.”
Emilia had instantaneous surgical treatment to seal the aneurysm, calling the effort “unbearable.” While she became once getting better, she continued, she skilled aphasia and became once “muttering nonsense.”
A week later, “the aphasia handed,” Emilia added, and she or he left the sanatorium a month after being admitted.
At a 2013 mind scan, she learned a enhance “doubled in measurement” and that she necessary surgical treatment again.
“Once they woke me, I became once screaming in effort,” she wrote. “The direction of had failed. I had a huge bleed and the doctors made it shocking that my possibilities of surviving had been precarious if they didn’t operate again. This time they essential to acquire entry to my mind in the frequent-common formulation—by my skull.”
Fortunately, Emilia shared, she's now “at a hundred per cent.”
Cori Broadus's Stroke
Snoop Dogg's daughter Cori Broadus is grateful for her family.
Consequently of after she suffered a “excessive stroke” in January 2024, her loved ones rushed to be by her side.
“I texted them that I gorgeous had a stroke and despatched them an image,” she suggested E! Files correspondent Will Marfuggi in December 2024. “All people gorgeous came to my rescue.”
Thanks to other medical concerns, Cori ended up staying in the sanatorium longer than she in the beginning anticipated.
“I might possibly also contain went house after my stroke, but my lupus wasn't doing so successfully,” the Snoop's Fatherhood: Cori and Wayne's Memoir well-known particular person continued. “My kidneys had been failing. It became once quite a bit occurring.”
At the present time, Cori is on the mend.
“I'm doing extra special,” she added. “I gorgeous had barely of little bit of motor talents that I needed to work assist on. But rather then that, I became once beautiful.”
Shailene Woodley's Health Fight
Shailene Woodley’s early 20s weren’t an straightforward time health-wise.
“It bought to the point the put I became once shedding my listening to. I couldn’t stride for longer than 5 minutes at a time with out having to lay down for hours, and hours and sleep. Every little thing I ate hurt my stomach,” the actress stated on a September 2024 episode of the SHE MD Podcast. “It became once this conflation of points and diagnoses and varied doctors telling me varied issues.”
So Shailene—who selected to retain the particular condition non-public—plot out to acquire answers.
“I strategy from a truly holistic background and stare herbalism,” she added. “So I became once very inquisitive about, ‘I’m going to work with right MDs, [and] I’m additionally going to work with impartial extra or less healers.’ Correct making an are trying to wait for some sense of comfort in my enjoy pores and skin.”
It became once a lengthy trudge—one which lasted for 10 years.
“Throughout that decade, a amount of different issues came from feeling so powerful discomfort bodily,” the Big Exiguous Lies well-known particular person notorious, “which became once, ‘My gosh, if all the issues I utilize hurts my stomach, I’m now with out discover unnerved of food.’ After which going into the extra or less mental f–ckery that might happen with that of body dysmorphia and confusion about identity and feeling safe in my enjoy tablet, in my enjoy pores and skin, what that meant, and what that ought to be.”
After tending to both her physical and mental health, Shailene is feeling powerful better.
“It became once a trudge that in the destroy bodily resolved itself, and I am very wholesome,” she shared. “I’m so delighted to be in a situation to tell that.”
Source credit : eonline.com
