One might call it a Christmas miracle that a Bradford man,
needing a dual kidney and pancreas transplant, got both Friday
night and is currently doing well.

Sam Scott, 50, of 41 Burnside Ave., who had talked to The Era
for an article in the Nov. 4 edition, received the dual transplant
at 7 p.m. Friday when he went into surgery at University of
Pittsburgh Medical Center Montefiore hospital in Pittsburgh.

“It’s better than anything for the entire family, better than
any gift,” Laura Scott said Monday about her husband’s transplant.
“It’s the best thing for everybody. This is the world’s greatest
Christmas gift for the family. He has a new lease on life. It’s a
miracle in our eyes.”

Scott has four children and has worked in Bradford throughout
his life. He has played in numerous bands for several benefits to
help other people in need, including such organizations as the
Children Miracle Network, Life Star and Life Flight as well as for
people he knew personally. He has coached handicapped bowling,
Little League baseball, junior bowling and bowling for CARE for
Children.

Scott has been a diabetic for 35 years, and it was his turn to
ask for help when he needed a new kidney and pancreas. Laura Scott,
Sam Scott’s wife, said her husband needed a kidney because his
diabetes ruined his pancreas over time and his pancreas problem
caused the kidney to go bad. Scott’s wife said he had been on
dialysis for what would have been two weeks on Saturday, and it had
been really consuming to him.

Laura Scott said her husband’s donor was a 25-year-old female
who was killed in a motor-vehicle accident. Doctors looked on a
list for those in need of a pancreas and those with the most
crucial need when they found Sam Scott’s name. His wife said Scott
was on both lists for kidney and pancreas transplants.

Since Laura Scott was planning on working Christmas morning,
they had opened their Christmas gifts on Friday. She said her
daughter had just finished opening all her presents when they
received the call and were told they needed to leave their house
within a half-hour.

In the previous Era article, Scott had said he needed a live
kidney donor, but when the deceased donor had come along that
looked like a match for Scott, he was called in. Though Scott’s
donor looked like a match when doctors were going through the list,
Sam Scott was called in Friday morning to make sure.

Laura Scott said they had to do a tissue and blood match with
the donor for her husband so it wasn’t a complete guarantee when
they received the call that the donor was going to be a match.
Fortunately, Sam Scott and the donor were “a complete match,” Laura
Scott said. She said the donor was a perfect match in every
way.

Previously, Sam Scott said doctors had wanted him to get a
kidney transplant first, and once that healed up, they were going
to give him a pancreas transplant. But since the donor donated both
her kidney and pancreas, they decided to proceed with giving Scott
both the kidney and the pancreas.

After the surgery Friday night, Scott came out of the intensive
care unit at UPMC on Christmas Day. Scott’s wife said he is still
in Pittsburgh and doing excellent.

“The doctors said he’s healing very well for other people that
have done this,” Laura Scott said Monday. “Everything’s going
great. The doctors can’t believe how well everything’s going. He’s
up walking today and sitting in a chair. His daughter saw him
today, and even the doctors are saying he has his color back and
looks about 10 years younger. He said he feels about 10 years
younger.”

Laura Scott said it’s also sad since a girl only 25-years-old
had to pass away for her husband to get a pancreas and kidney.

“Anybody that thinks to be an organ donor should,” Laura Scott
said. “Right here just shows. A lot of people received from the
same organ donor. Just from one person, a lot of people can
benefit. I think four to five people benefited from this girl.

“Everything’s good, but everything can change,” Laura Scott said
about her husband’s condition. “He’s down there for two to three
weeks, possibly longer.”

She said they will be starting her husband on anti-rejection
medicine so his body doesn’t reject the new organs.

Scott’s wife said he would really like to hear from people in
the area, adding he had benefited from hearing from people after
the original article ran in The Era. Anyone that would like to
write to Sam Scott or send him a card could do so by sending
letters and cards to Sam Scott, Room 1279, UPMC Montefiore, 200
Lothrop St., Pittsburgh, Pa. 15213. Scott’s wife said he would
write back to thank all those that have helped him through this
difficult time.