Drumheller's Scott Ouellette became a heart transplant recipient at the age of 28.
A local man who is alive today thanks to a heart transplant continues to share his story in hopes that others too will be able to live.
Scott Ouellette, manager at Acklands Grainger in Drumheller, shared his story with The Mail in July of 2013. In the spring of 2008, at 28 years of age he was living in Red Deer. One evening he began having chest pains playing ball hockey. He finished his game, but late at night he was rushed by ambulance to the hospital. He was airlifted by STARS to Calgary. 113 days later, he received a donated heart.
It is an understatement that this was a life changing experience, and since then, he has lent his name and experience to making a difference.
This month there is a good chance you will see him on TV as part of the campaign for the Alberta Heart and Stroke Foundation Lottery. He is one of “The Pictures of Real Winners.”
Ouellette was in Toronto to shoot the spot in early September and last week the commercial began regular rotation. He and his story are also featured on the website.
“They asked me to do this and I was more than happy to do it. There is a little blurb and my story in the flyer that went out to almost every household and the bottom of very ticket sold has a little blurb about my story as well,” said Ouellette.
“For myself, being so open and honest is always positive. People I talk to; number one, are amazed that it happened to me, and number two, start to think about organ donation. It is all about awareness and getting the word out that it saves lives.
The Alberta Heart and Stroke Foundation plays a key role in supporting patients like Ouellette.
“Heart transplants have only been around since the 1970s and three decades later the hearts are the easy ones to do because they have been doing them the longest, it is amazing what they have done,” said Ouellette.
He says they have been making great strides in extending the time between when a heart is donated and when used for transplant.
“When I was waiting for a transplant, they couldn’t go much further than Ontario or they wouldn’t make it back with a usable heart.
According to its website the Heart and Stroke Foundation helped create 165,000 survivors, and it has committed $300 million to research over the next decade.
“Mainly they fund research. The doctor that installed the heart machine on me while I was waiting for a transplant, most of his career has been funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation,” said Ouellette. “It goes to doctors and teams to work on how to keep people alive longer, not only after heart attacks or strokes, but also keeping people alive when heart attacks and stokes happen."
To learn more about the fall campaign go to heartandstroke.ab.ca
