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