Former KU forward Scot Pollard has successful heart transplant, his wife reports
Former Kansas and NBA forward Scot Pollard had successful heart replacement surgery Friday at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, his wife, Dawn Pollard, reported via social media.
Pollard, who turned 49 on Monday, had been awaiting a donor in the ICU unit at the Tennessee hospital since Feb. 6.
Pollard had his name on heart transplant waiting lists the past several weeks at not only the Vanderbilt hospital, but also the University of Chicago Hospital and Ascension St. Vincent Hospital in his hometown of Carmel, Indiana.
“Scot has a new heart! Surgery went well and I’ve been told the heart is big, powerful and is a perfect fit!” Dawn Pollard posted Friday night on X. “Now on to the crucial part of recovery. Thank you to everyone for the continued prayers and support, but most of all, deepest thanks to the donor, our hero.”
Earlier Friday, Dawn Pollard wrote: “Scot wanted me to let everyone know that the pre-heart transplant hair is gone, it’s go time! Please keep the prayers coming for Scot, the surgeons, for the donor and his family who lost their loved one. This donor gave the most amazing gift of life and we are forever grateful.”
On Instagram last Friday, she wrote: “After a roller coaster ride of emotions, a few offers of hearts that got our hopes up and down, they finally found THE ONE!!! They just took him back for surgery. Please keep the prayers coming for Scot, the surgeons, for the donor and his family who lost their loved one. This donor gave the most amazing gift of life and we are forever grateful.”
Scot Pollard recently had a humorous post of his own on X: “My Cardiologist here at Vanderbilt is a Duke guy. He’s OK though, don’t hold that against him. #RockChalk.” Pollard included a picture of his doctor in the post.
Scot told The Star recently that potential donors would likely have to be 6-foot-1 or taller.
Just last week, Pollard told The Star: “Is it urgent? Yes. I need a new heart, but I’m not sick enough to be hospitalized, so it’s best to get listed at all these hospitals and hope a big, healthy heart that is my blood type (O-positive) gets past all of the people ahead of me on the list that may not be good recipients for that heart due to their factors.”
According to the Associated Press, “patients in need of an organ transplant have to navigate a labyrinthine system that attempts to fairly match the donated organs with the recipients in need. The matching process takes the health of the patient into account, all with the goal of maximizing the benefit of the limited organs available.”
“It’s out of my hands. It’s not even in the doctor’s hands,” Pollard told the AP, adding, “It’s up to the donor networks.” He noted that doctors “can’t predict but are confident I’ll get a heart in weeks, not months.”
Pollard, a native of Murray, Utah, played at KU from 1993-97. He played 11 seasons in the NBA (1997-2008) for Boston, Sacramento, Cleveland, Detroit and Indiana. He won an NBA title with Boston in 2008.
Pollard’s wife revealed on social media on Jan. 10 that Scot was on various waiting lists for a heart transplant. His genetic heart condition — apparently triggered by a virus he contracted in 2021 — had worsened over the past month or so. He often found himself ending phone conversations early because he was short of breath.
Pollard’s father suffered from the same genetic condition and ended up dying at 54. Some of Pollard’s siblings also have the genetic condition.
Dawn explained on social media what Scot has gone through since 2021.
“Three failed heart ablations, pacemaker/defibrillator, all the drugs and side effects, heart biopsies, heart catheter tests, CT/MRI scans, countless viles of blood taken, ER trips, myocarditis, pericarditis-all over the past three years…and now heart transplant list,” she explained in response to some misguided person who on social media accused Pollard of “faking it.”
Pollard is one of KU’s most popular players ever. He painted his fingernails and was a spectacular rebounder for Jayhawk teams from 1993-94 to 1996-97. He played in the NBA 11 years and in 2016 was a contestant on the TV show, “Survivor.”
Recently he told The Star: “A lot of people have reached out on social media from Jayhawk nation and it’s very kind and humbling to hear from so many.”
He told the Indy Star: “It’s an odd situation to sit here and ponder for an undetermined amount of time. The surgeon here said it’s like winning the lottery. We might get lucky next week, next month, next year. It might be longer. It’s like Tom Petty says: The waiting is the hardest part.”
“We started using that (Petty lyric) when Dawn got cancer in 2019 and had a double mastectomy. I was the caretaker then, though for a much shorter time. She’s been under a lot of pressure because I’m doing nothing. She healed quickly and is cancer free and supporting our family on top of everything else.”
This story was originally published February 16, 2024 at 7:14 PM.
