Former NBA player Scot Pollard rings bell 13 days after undergoing heart transplant surgery
Less than a month ago, former NBA player Scot Pollard was hospitalized in Tennessee and opened up about his recent health struggles, revealing that he would likely remain in intensive care until he could find a proper donor match and undergo a necessary heart transplant.
Now, nearly two weeks after undergoing a successful surgery, Pollard is on the road to recovery.
Dawn Pollard has documented her husband’s journey on social media, and on Thursday she shared a heartwarming video of a jovial Pollard ringing the bell at the Vanderbilt Transplant Center.
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"HE MADE IT!! 13 days post heart transplant and he got to ring the bell," she said in a post on X.
Pollard responded to the post saying, "Today was a good day."
The former Sacramento Kings center revealed in an interview with The Associated Press last month that he had been admitted to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center ICU due to a recent decline in his health.
"I'm staying here until I get a heart," he told the outlet via text message on Wednesday night. "My heart got weaker. (Doctors) agree this is my best shot at getting a heart quicker."
According to the AP, Pollard’s failing health is due to a genetic condition that was likely triggered by a virus he contracted in 2021. The condition was causing his heart to beat an extra 10,000 times a day. It is the same condition that his father, who passed away when Pollard was 16, had.
One of the biggest challenges facing Pollard was finding a heart that could support his 6-foot-11, 260-pound body.
Shortly after going public with his health update, Pollard had found a match.
"Every single thing that could be different is different," Pollard said on social media Thursday.
"When I woke from probably the most difficult surgery around, I immediately felt better. That told me two things: 1) the staff at @VUMCTransplant is incredible and 2) I was thinking I was ok. I wasn’t."
A first-round draft pick out of Kansas in 1997, Pollard played for five NBA teams across 11 seasons, most notably with the Kings and the Indiana Pacers. He retired in 2008 after one year with the Boston Celtics.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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