by Sarah Fedele

Robert “Bobby” Scott’s Law Office is a fixture in downtown Kernersville at the corner of Main and Mountain Street.  However, if you travel north about five minutes and travel back in time about 30 years, you would find Bobby Scott catching salamanders, skipping rocks in the stream, and riding horses on his family’s 25 acres where the new Fed Ex ground hub facility now stands on Old Greensboro Road.

Bobby graduated from East Forsyth High School, went to Barton College on a Soccer Scholarship, and attended Law school with the goal of one day practicing in his hometown of Kernersville.  After graduation, he worked for the District Attorney’s office in Greensboro for four months before his life took a drastic turn.

“My Father walked into my office and said ‘I need you to quit your job today and take over”, remembers Bobby.  His father, Robert J. Scott, a lawyer with his own practice in High Point, was heading into heart surgery the next day to replace his heart valve.

Bobby ran his father’s law firm while his father recuperated and they continued to work together for many years.  Bobby opened up his own law practice in Kernersville in 2006, focusing on family law and criminal defense.

Although always a man of fitness and in relatively good shape, Bobby began experiencing shortness of breath in October of 2012.  He would suddenly be out of breath after climbing a single flight of stairs and experienced a burning in the center of his chest while on his treadmill.

In January of 2013, his father had to undergo another valve replacement.  In a second dramatic turn of events, two months later, Bobby was at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center on the same floor, and in the exact same room where his father had been.

In March, Bobby decided to play it safe and see his general practitioner about his shortness of breath, who recommended an immediate heart catheterization.

“I was shocked – I had figured I would just receive a stern warning about my diet,” says Bobby.  The heart catheter showed something different and immediate open heart surgery was needed.

Bobby requested to be transferred to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center so Dr. Neal Kon, who saved his father’s life twice, could perform the surgery.  “Before they put me to sleep for the surgery, I remember thinking about my young daughter and making a promise to myself and to God, that if I make it through the surgery, I will make improvements and strive to make a difference in others lives,” remembers Bobby.

After Bobby woke up in the ICU, Dr. Kon placed his hand on Bobby’s chest and told him that he was one of his top three hardest cases.  He found five vessels 80-90% blocked and performed a quintuple bypass.  Dr. Kon shared that something of the divine was also involved.  Bobby’s heart should have stopped several times during the surgery, but it continued to beat strongly.  He also shared that if Bobby had not gone to see his general practitioner, he would have died within six weeks at just 42 years old.

“Within 72 hours of seeing my general practitioner, my whole life changed,” shares Bobby, “I have a second chance to get it right-including controlling stress, eating better, and leading a heart-healthy life.”  These days Bobby is as strong as ever.  He is planning to do his first triathlon in Key West Florida on his birthday this December.  “I no longer put my life on hold for the weekend,” says Bobby.  “Every day for me is Friday or Saturday.”

The American Heart Association’s Tanglewood Heart and Stroke Walk, sponsored by Wake Forest Baptist Health, will take place on Saturday, October 18 at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons.  Families, friends, and companies are encouraged to form teams to help raise vital funds for heart disease and stroke research, and prevention education.  AHA funded research has contributed to such discoveries as valve replacements, bypass surgeries, and even CPR.  To get involved, visit www.TanglewoodHeartWalk.org or email TanglewoodHeartWalk@Heart.org.