Name: Samantha Scholl

Age: 4 1/2

Transplant: Heart, 1991

Team: Team Western Pennsylvania

Hometown: Cranberry Twp

Event(s): Track and Field (50 meter run) and Kids Time

Samantha Scholl, a 41/2 year old heart transplant recipient from Cranberry Twp, PA., will be a member of Team Western PA this year at the transplant games. The events she will participate in will be the 50 meter run, kids time, and any other age-related events they will have.

It was discovered at 28 wks gestation thru ultrasound that Samantha would be born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

At 30wks she was placed in utero on the organ transplant waiting list and would be given the chance to be born cesarean if a heart became available. At 41 weeks she was born by normal childbirth and transferred to Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh to wait. On her 3rd day of life, December 14,1991 she recieved her second chance. Samantha's path post-op has had its ups and downs. Most of her complications have been allergic-like behaviors from her anti- rejection medication.

She will be enrolled in pre-school again this year and she enjoys swimming, baseball and riding her bike. She shows a true talent in ballet and gymnastics.

Samantha would like to win a medal at the transplant games but she is more excited about being around others like herself who have experienced life-saving organ transplants.

As parents we hope, thru her eyes, that people will be enriched and see that the miracle called transplantation does work and hope that she may help enligten today's society on organ/tissue donation so that anybody else faced in this type of situation will recieve the second chance like Samantha has.

It will also be a way to thank the family who gave us our precious gift back. Samantha says if she could ever meet the family who gave her new heart to her she would say "thank you" and that she is "sorry their baby had to die"

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Last modified: 11 May 2000