Two years ago, almost to the day, Scott was told he needed a heart transplant. He’s been waiting ever since... holding steady on the kind of long, uncertain road that wears down even the strongest people.

But we’re almost to the end of that road.

If you know Scott, you know he’s a helper. Someone who listens closely, leads with compassion, and lights up when he sees someone else succeed. Over the years, he’s been a youth pastor, a teacher, a counselor, a band organizer, and a mission trip leader. He’s led video game nights for teenagers and helped repair homes on Native American reservations. He’s packed out halls for amateur band competitions and quietly stocked food pantries behind the scenes. He’s helped thousands…sometimes with a microphone, sometimes with a toolbelt, and sometimes with a perfectly executed lecture to a class of teens who didn’t know their favorite lesson would come from a history class.

These last two years, though, have been quieter. Harder. Isolating.

Scott was born with a congenital heart defect called bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), a condition where the aortic valve has only two flaps instead of the usual three. He had his first heart cath at age six and remembers when Holter monitors used cassette tapes. He carried a little notebook everywhere, logging his daily activities (like if he was in gym class) so doctors could match what his heart was doing to what he was doing. At 21, he received a porcine valve, and at 28, it was replaced with a mechanical St. Jude valve due to the first one calcifying earlier than expected.

In the years since, Scott was also diagnosed with nonischemic cardiomyopathy, left bundle branch block, and a significant aortic aneurysm just past his valve. His biventricular ICD (pacemaker/defibrillator) was recently replaced for the third time, as he now paces 100% of the time. His ejection fraction is around 15%, and his cardiac index (a measure of how much blood the heart pumps through the body) has dropped so low that even his ophthalmologist noticed reduced blood flow in his eyes during a routine eye exam. While his aneurysm has stabilized and could be stented, a heart transplant would eliminate the need for that surgery entirely, along with resolving all of these issues, including the removal of the ICD device itself.

He was approved and listed in 2023 at Status 6, but when his strength declined, he was moved to Status 7 (“shaded” in their terminology, which meant not actively matching for a donor heart), giving him time to rebuild before surgery. That time has been slow, steady work: months of physical therapy, healing, and careful reconditioning to improve his chances of recovery post-transplant. Back in May, Scott made 330 meters on his six-minute walk test—up from just 187 meters two years ago! That progress, along with other health markers, led Duke to reactivate him at Status 6. We’re now officially waiting for the call!

When that call comes, it will mean a new heart, but more than that, a new engine. A chance to return to the world with strength, energy, and maybe most importantly, his voice.

Scott’s never needed a stage or a title to make an impact. He brings stickers and fun pens to his nurses because he loves making people smile. He organizes the space around him so others can thrive. He’s not planning on going back into church leadership, but that same heart that drove him to help others hasn’t changed…it’s just been on pause.

When the transplant comes, it won’t just give Scott a functioning heart.

It will mean:

What he will need is time. Rest. And round-the-clock caregiving support for months after surgery.

Our insurance covers most of the transplant itself, but recovery is intense. We’ll need to stay near the hospital, attend frequent follow-ups, and navigate months of lost income and everyday costs that don’t pause just because life does. Even with careful planning, we can’t do it alone.

To those who supported us two years ago: thank you. You paid for medications, specialist visits, travel, and the lift recliner that’s still in daily use. You gave us stability in the waiting season, and we are forever grateful.

Now, as we prepare for the next phase, we’re asking again—for whatever support you’re able to give:

Your support will go toward:

GoFundMe is the easiest way to give, but if you’d prefer to give directly:

Scott’s ready to get back out there. To serve. To organize. To teach. To help people win. Whether it’s leading a classroom of kids or making someone’s day with a blue syringe pen, this is who he is.

All he needs now is the heart to match it.

With love and gratitude,

Hillary + Scott