CNN
—
Sean Elliott knows a thing or two about miracles.
He is the basketball star who created perhaps the most famous shot in San Antonio Spurs history, the “Memorial Day Miracle.” It was Memorial Day 1999, Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.
The Spurs were playing the Portland Trail Blazers on their home court, the Alamodome, with a two-point lead. With 12 seconds left, Elliott hit a 3-pointer from the sideline. He was so close to the edge of the court that some commentators thought he might run out of bounds.
The crowd roared, Portland's Amare Stoudemire looked stunned, and the Spurs won 86-85. They went on to win the championship title that year – their first of five to date.
When Elliott made that shot, his kidneys were failing, but only a few people knew that at the time when they heard the story. He unexpectedly developed focal segmental glomerulosclerosis at the age of 25. This disease interferes with the kidneys' ability to filter waste products from the blood.
Elliott's health issues became more public a few weeks later when the newly crowned NBA champion, 31, had to leave the team. He took his talents and prayers and went to Methodist Specialty Transplant Hospital in San Antonio to receive a kidney transplant.
Elliott is the first active player to do so, said Mike Bass, the NBA's chief communications officer. [NBA] A player returning to play after a transplant.
“I see people all the time who have no idea what my story is…and I'll say, 'Oh yeah, I had a kidney transplant.'” The two-time NBA All-Star went on to play 11 seasons. Elliott, Spurs and Detroit Pistons told CNN Sports.
“And they have no idea,” added Elliott, now a television analyst for the Spurs. “And I think that was part of my original goal…to have people forget about that and treat me like a normal person.”
The desire to be normal is common among transplant recipients. Elliott said he started noticing something unusual a few years before his transplant, around the 1992-93 season. He said he felt tired, lost his appetite, and noticed that his hands, feet, and face were starting to swell. He didn't know what was going on at first, but he was eventually diagnosed with kidney disease.
Despite his health and declining performance, Elliott continued to play until he could no longer be pushed. His kidney function was very poor and his two options were dialysis or a transplant. He chose the latter because the former would mean the end of his NBA career.
Elliott says the transplant changed everything.
“I think it was like turning on a light switch…suddenly I had energy…I was clear-headed. I was able to do things. I felt normal again. Normal for such a long time. I didn’t know what it felt like,” he explained.
Now 55, Elliott's “normal” life means watching his children grow up and fulfilling the promise he made to his mother to get a college degree. He graduated from the University of Arizona in May, about 35 years after he first enrolled there and left after being drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in 1989.
He said he also plays golf, exercises regularly and eats healthy. His kidneys can't process all the protein well, so he eats chicken and fish and rarely eats porterhouse steak. And of course plenty of vegetables.
“I always joke to my wife [and]Friends, I am so empty. I don't want to get out of shape or gain too much weight. But the real reason is I just want to know, I want to challenge my body every day and I want to keep myself in good shape,” he said.
Elliott's name is just one on a small list of former professional athletes who have received transplants. The list also includes former British/Canadian soccer player Simon Keith, who received a heart transplant in 1986. Olympic medalist and snowboarder Chris Krug received a liver transplant in 2000. and NBA star Alonzo Mourning, who received a kidney transplant in 2003.
Elliott said he regularly talks with people preparing for kidney transplants about what to expect, and he also spoke with Mourning and fellow transplant patient George Lopez, a comedian.
The first successful long-term kidney transplant was in 1954. Since then, more than 500,000 people in the United States have received kidney transplants, which tend to work an average of 12 to 20 years after surgery.
Raising awareness about kidney disease and encouraging people to monitor their kidney health is another way Mr Elliott likes to invest his money.
According to data from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, approximately 800,000 Americans have end-stage kidney disease or kidney failure, which means the kidneys are not working well enough to meet the body's needs. It means it's gone. This is the most common reason for receiving a kidney transplant.
According to a 2019 NIH study, African Americans are three times more likely to need a kidney transplant than non-Hispanic whites.
Elliott calls kidney disease a silent killer, especially among African-Americans like himself. This is because people usually do not experience symptoms until the disease is advanced. Additionally, access to quality health care can be difficult for some Black Americans, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Elliott, who was blinded by kidney disease, said he had access to top-notch care. Since the surgery, he has worked with the National Kidney Foundation and the U.S. Transplant Games (now called the U.S. Transplant Games) to educate people about what is possible after a transplant.
“It was an honor to be a part of the Transplant Games and an incredible feeling to be there. We have run several basketball camps and interacted with many athletes, and they “Look at the guy, I realized he's not on his deathbed. So the organ transplant is the beginning of a new life. It's not the end of you,” he said.
Although he has never competed in the American Transplant Games or the World Transplant Games, he said meeting other transplant athletes has given him perspective on his own transplant experience.
“There were many cases where family members did not act proactively or even friends did not act proactively for patients who needed a transplant. So for me, my story doesn't always happen. So I consider myself very lucky,” he said.
He's right. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, he is one of an estimated 17 patients a day who dies while waiting for an organ transplant.
Elliott's story is a truly fortunate one. When he told his family he needed a kidney, his parents and siblings underwent tests to see if they could help. In the end, his older brother Noel was the best match. When Noel found out, he “didn't hesitate for a second. He stepped up and the rest was history,” Elliott recalled.
The brothers are still close.
“Our relationship is still the same. And we've been close ever since we were kids. I mean, my brother was always the one who shagged the ball for me. The first time I dunked… When we tried to do that, he was the one who made pass after pass after pass.”
While the final shot of the Memorial Day Miracle has a deserved place in NBA history, Elliott's post-transplant play has been just as miraculous.
Immunosuppressants, especially the high doses that most transplant patients must take for about a year after surgery, can affect muscle mass and weight and make the body more susceptible to infections and disease. there is.
Elliott received a standing ovation when he returned to the NBA just seven months after surgery, starting 19 games in the 1999-2000 season and playing in 64 games (52 regular season games, 12 playoff games) the following season. .
Elliott says being the NBA's first active transplant meant he had to “jump through a lot of loopholes and sign a lot of waivers.”
He says his health, playing time and performance were closely monitored.
“I was fine with that…I was just excited to actually be able to go out and play after the transplant. I mean, a lot of people at the time were like, 'Are you crazy?' was. Why not just hang it up or just ride it off into the sunset?’ But I wasn’t ready for that,” he said.
Although Elliott felt strong and often met his performance goals, he suffered a rotator cuff injury and was unable to take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for the pain because he didn't want to strain his new kidney. said. He said he could only cool himself down. This turned out to be a problem.
By the end of the 2000-01 season, he said he was tired of being sore every day. That year, he retired at the age of 33. A few years later, his jersey number 32 was also retired.
Since then, Elliott has maintained a close relationship with the Spurs franchise, speaking regularly about the state of play in the league. His kidneys and health are good.
Transplanted organs do not have a “use by date” and there is no guarantee how long they will last or how well they will function. Although these can save lives, in some cases they can cause secondary problems such as infection, disease, and organ rejection. Elliott said she found peace with unpredictable events by staying present and focusing on what she could control rather than what she couldn't predict.
“I lost my mom in ’14 and my dad in ’15. And then one day I heard someone say to me, “No one’s going to get out of here alive.” That's the truth,” he began.
“I don't live in fear of what's going to happen in the future. I try to focus on the now and be aware of the present. And I think that's the biggest thing that helps me. As much as I can. I'm still as healthy as I can be. [be],” he said. “And whatever happens, happens…so take control of what you can and enjoy every day.”
