Quote from Oladosun Joshua Segun on June 20, 2025, 1:56 AM

One person in particular is responsible for Scot Pollard's survival. As part of a poignant ESPN documentary titled Heart of Pearl, the former Survivor contestant, who competed on the CBS show from 2015 to 2016, revealed that he underwent a heart transplant in February 2024 and was finally able to meet and thank his donor's family in person.

After becoming unwell in 2021, Scot, an NBA player for 11 years with the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers, was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a genetic heart condition.

"I'm really attached to this heart," according to a June 15 ESPN report, he stated in the hospital. "I feel like it's the best one. That's the one I was born with. And the biggest fear is that the next one isn't going to be good enough."

The athlete needed the proper fit to support his 6-foot-11 frame, which is why he was turned down for several transplants. According to Jonathan Menachem, his physician, "You can't put a Ford Festiva engine in an F-150 and think it's going to work well."

Scot, who is now fifty, found it difficult to accept his prognosis. "I do remember feeling like, 'If this is it, I'm going to be OK,'" he stated. "'But if it's not, I've got a lot to do."

In the end, he was paired with donor Casey Angell, who passed away at the age of 45 after contracting pneumonia and needing to be intubated.

"You're losing your best friend," Pamela Angell, his wife, told the outlet, "But somebody else is gaining your best friend, in a way."

As Dr. Ashish Shah, a heart surgeon in Scotland, pointed out, "In some respects, it was just the right heart for him."

Through a program run by his hospital, Scot was able to write a letter to his family five months following his successful treatment, in which he revealed the identity of his donor, even though Casey remained unidentified to him initially.

"I live in Indiana and I'm writing this letter to express mine and my family's unending appreciation for your loved one's gift of life," according to the note ESPN was able to get, Scot wrote. "My wife, myself, our four children, our extended family and friends are all forever grateful!"

"We would love the opportunity to meet at some point if you're amenable to that idea," his letter went on. "We want to let you know that your loved one's heart is going to be loved and cared for and will give love back."

Scot also commended the deceased individual and shared his work promoting organ donation awareness.

"Your loved one is our hero, and he will live on forever through me and our efforts of getting more people to be selfless heroes like him," he penned. "If you don't feel comfortable responding, I completely understand. I just wanted you to know my lifelong appreciation for him. He truly is my hero."

https://www.instagram.com/p/DLApV2rOIPx/

In October 2024, Casey's sister Megan Tyra and his wife Pamela responded to the former basketball player.

"Scot, you warmed our hearts with your kind words concerning your donor, who was loved beyond measure," they responded in writing. "February 16, 2024, was an incredibly hard day for those of us that loved your donor, Casey. When we knew that we were going to have to let him go, and were approached about organ donation, there was never a pause or a doubt that Casey would have wanted to help."

"Casey was a loving husband, dad, uncle, and the best baby brother anyone could ask for. Even though he was the baby, he towered over us all," they continued their message. "Thank you for caring for that big heart of his. And we are grateful to know he is loved and will continue to give love. It means the world to us. He has inspired people in his own family to donate and be a hero like him."

Additionally, they decided to meet in person, and in March 2025, Scot goes to Lindale, Texas, to do so.

Scot tells the outlet, "What we hope for moving forward is just that I can keep living a better life due of their gift."