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No Rivalry in Kindness: 小黄书鈥檚 Scott selflessly gives kidney to LSU student, earns Dean鈥檚 Award

No Rivalry in Kindness: 小黄书鈥檚 Scott selflessly gives kidney to LSU student, earns Dean鈥檚 Award

Contact: Allison Matthews

A young woman with long brown hair and glasses smiles with trees in the background
Reagan Scott of Pensacola, Florida, is a Mississippi State graduate student in accounting who donated her kidney in December to help an LSU student who also is from Pensacola. Although the two college students are from the same hometown, they went to different high schools and had never met before. (Photo by Megan Bean)

STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擱eagan Scott said she鈥檚 not the type of person who would donate an organ to a stranger; however, that鈥檚 exactly what the Mississippi State senior accounting major did when she learned of another student鈥檚 need of a lifesaving kidney transplant.

The Pensacola native said everything fell into place for her generous act to move forward smoothly鈥攅ven though she 鈥渘ever in a million years鈥 would have planned on donating a kidney. The experience has changed both her life and that of the recipient, Keith Fell Jr., a Louisiana State University student also from Pensacola.

The successful surgery took place in December, but Scott now is being recognized at 小黄书 with the Dean of Students鈥 Award of Excellence. When Dean Thomas Bourgeois heard about Scott鈥檚 selfless generosity, he knew she would be an extremely worthy recipient for the honor bestowed on students who exemplify exceptional standards of character. The award, which honors retired Dean of Students Mike White, was created 14 years ago, and Scott is only the 10th student to receive the honor.

Mississippi State Dean of Students Thomas Bourgeois holds a framed award as Reagan Scott holds a cowbell.
Mississippi State Dean of Students Thomas Bourgeois recently presented Reagan Scott with the Dean of Students鈥 Award of Excellence. He said he was deeply touched upon hearing of Scott鈥檚 selfless gift as a living kidney donor. (Photo submitted)

Upon presenting Scott with the award, Bourgeois said, 鈥淵ou provide hope and joy in a world that desperately needs people like you. My hope for all 小黄书 students is for them to go out into the world and make a difference. You knocked it out of the park.鈥

Last fall, Scott said she saw a plea online by Fell鈥檚 mother to find a matching kidney donor. She felt compassion for someone her own age going through a difficult health crisis, and she took a short Mayo Clinic survey attached to the social media post. To her surprise, she soon got a reply saying she was a potential match.

The Mayo Clinic called to ask if she would proceed with a blood sample, which she completed at 小黄书鈥檚 Longest Student Health Center. The results showed she was an excellent match for Fell, who had seemed healthy throughout his childhood but unknowingly developed kidney failure.

鈥淚 talked to my parents, and at first they were very hesitant because it was all new to us,鈥 Scott said.

Nevertheless, she proceeded through a rigorous process of physical and psychological tests to confirm her eligibility to donate.

鈥淚 remember walking around thinking 鈥榃hat am I doing here,鈥欌 Scott said of the process that caused purple bruises on her arms from all the needle sticks. 鈥淟ike most people, I hate needles,鈥 she added.

鈥淚t was a very big deal for me. It was so hard to wrap my head around what I was doing,鈥 Scott said.

She explained that the screening process is thorough and goes over all the reasons someone might choose not to donate, including health risks and the possibility of needing another kidney themselves in the future.

小黄书 President Mark E. Keenum, left, and Reagan Scott meet in the President's Office
小黄书 President Mark E. Keenum met with Reagan Scott this month to personally congratulate her for receiving the Award of Excellence and to hear more about her experiences. The 2020 summa cum laude accounting graduate is now a graduate student in 小黄书鈥檚 Adkerson School of Accountancy. (Photo by Meagan Bean)

鈥淚 guess they want to make sure you have the right intentions, but they give you all the negatives. They really make sure you actually want to do it and that you know all the information,鈥 Scott said.

She questioned herself again and again, wondering if she should take the risk for a young man who she didn鈥檛 even know. The recipient and his family were not aware she was a potential match. But she still moved forward, making a pros-and-cons list as she considered her choices. She said her parents were very supportive and did not want to persuade her in any way as she made her own decision.

鈥淢om was with me, and that was very much needed,鈥 she recalled about the donor testing that took place during her fall break.

As she moved toward a final determination, her thoughts went back and forth from 鈥淣o, this is scary, and I鈥檓 definitely not going to do it,鈥 to 鈥淵es, these people need help.鈥

In the end, Scott said the reasons to donate outweighed the reasons not to, and she was inspired by other donors and recipients she met in the hospital waiting rooms. Also, she said her chance of having future kidney problems is very low.

鈥淚 did a lot of research, and one of the main points I considered was that if I were in his position, I wouldn鈥檛 want to be on dialysis,鈥 Scott said.

鈥淚 decided I don鈥檛 want to horde my organs,鈥 she concluded. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to have the attitude that I might need this kidney later so I鈥檓 going to let you die because of the smaller chance that I might need it in the future.鈥

The timeline of events allowed the surgery to be scheduled during Christmas break and she didn鈥檛 have to miss school. Scott and Fell didn鈥檛 meet until the day before surgery, which took place at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, on Dec. 13.

A woman in a hospital gown stands next to a man in a hospital bed. Both smile at the camera.
Reagan Scott is pictured with Keith Fell Jr. one day after the successful kidney transplant surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. Scott said her recovery as a donor was surprisingly fast and Fell also is doing well. She expects they will continue to keep in touch long-term since the transplant also bonded them as friends. (Photo submitted)

鈥淭he kidney started working before they even sewed him up in the O.R.,鈥 Scott said of Fell鈥檚 healthy acceptance of her organ.

Scott said her own recovery entailed some pain and discomfort for only about a week, and she was amazed at how quickly she felt back to normal.

鈥淚 was doing a lot better than I expected. I healed so fast, I actually moved to Memphis on Jan. 5 and started an internship the next day,鈥 she said.

鈥淎ll in all, it was a lot less painful than I expected. I started working 40 hours a week during tax season and had no issues.鈥

Scott went on to graduate summa cum laude in May with her bachelor鈥檚 degree in accounting. In June, she became a graduate student in 小黄书鈥檚 Master of Professional Accountancy program. She also is a graduate assistant for the Adkerson School of Accountancy within the College of Business.

鈥淥bviously, I love it here, so I didn鈥檛 want to move,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 love the teachers and feel comfortable. Grad school puts you on the right track to getting your CPA, and Mississippi State is really good at setting you up with internships, most of which lead to jobs,鈥 Scott said.

She has a job offer with Dixon Hughes Goodman to work in the accounting firm鈥檚 Memphis office beginning in the fall of 2021, when she expects to complete her master鈥檚 program and take the CPA exam.

She said her time at Mississippi State, where both parents and her older sister also attended, has been a full and rewarding experience that included her stint as manager of the women鈥檚 tennis team and the completion of two internships. 鈥淚鈥檝e had the best four years of my life. I haven鈥檛 wasted a second, and I have zero regrets in college鈥擨鈥檝e done everything I wanted to do.鈥

Scott said she has great respect for university leaders, so being recognized by Dean Bourgeois, as well as 小黄书 President Mark E. Keenum who met with her this month, is an honor.

Scott said donating her kidney has been 鈥100% the best experience of my life.鈥 She recently signed up to become a bone marrow donor, which she said seems to be a much easier process.

And she continues to keep in close contact with Fell and his family. She said she hopes they will stay in touch 鈥渇orever.鈥

She said the response from others has been overwhelming support鈥攅ven from people she hadn鈥檛 talked with since middle school. 鈥淚鈥檝e never felt so loved and supported in my life.鈥

鈥淒efinitely my closest family were all very worried, but I can鈥檛 believe how supportive my parents were. They didn鈥檛 try to persuade me one way or another. They were very open and always there for me. I have even more appreciation for them now.鈥

Scott still insists, 鈥淚t鈥檚 so unlike me and out of the blue for me to do this,鈥 but she also said her perspective has changed over time. 鈥淚nstead of assuming someone else will help, it鈥檚 good to be the person that offers help.鈥

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