Gates County NcArchives News.....MEMORIES OF SCOTT PIERCE WILL NEVER DIE December 3, 1979
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
GERALD WIGGINS gwiggins@inteliport.com April 15, 2006, 6:50 am

GATES COUNTY INDEX December 3, 1979
 HOBBSVILLE- SCOTT McCLENNEY PIERCE, WAS A NORMAL BOY- HE HAD RIDDEN THE LOCH 
NESS MONSTER 14 TIMES, SAVED THE LIVES OF FOUR KITTENS, MADE QUATERBACK OF HIS
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAM AND CUT GRASS ON THE SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN.
 HE WANTED TO GO TO THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE FAIR. HIS DREAM WAS TO SEE 
WASHINGTON REDSKINS PLAY.
 RIDSKINS QUARTERBACK JOE THEISMANN CALLED HIM LAST MONTH.
 "HANG IN THERE SCOTT. ONE DAY I WANT YOU TO PLAY ON MY TEAM,"THEISMANN SAID"
SCOTT SMILED AND DISCUSSED THE REDSKINS SEASON THIRTY MINUTES LATER, SCOTT DIED
FOLLOWING A FOUR WEEK AND ONE DAY BATTLE AGAINST LEUKEMIA.
  ACCORDING TO SCOTT'S FATHER DEWITT A NEWPORT NEWS SHIPYARD EMPLOYEE HIS 13 
YEAR OLD SUFFERED FROM A ACUTE, NONLYMPHIC LEUKEMIA.
  "ACUTE MEANS SHORT AND QUICK ACCORDING TO WEBSTERS DICTIONARY. I HAVE LEARNED
THE MEANING OF THAT WORD ,"DeWITT SAID FROM A FIRESIDE CHAIR SURROUNDED BY HIS
WIFE, AND FAMILY.
  SCOTT'S FIGHT AGAINST THE BLOOD CANCER BEGAN IN OCTOBER FOLLOWING A SEVERE
HAND BRUISE HE RECEIVED DURING A CENTRAL JUNIOR HIGH FOOTBALL GAME.
 "SCOTT'S COACH TOOK THE YOUTH TO THE MURFREESBOR MEDICAL ASSOCIATES CLINIC NEAR
GATESVILLE.
  THE COACH BROUGHT SCOTT TO THE SCHOOL WHERE I WORK AFTER THAT EXAMINATION AND
TOLD ME THAT THE DOCTOR SAID SCOTT WAS ANEMIC," PEGGY SAID.
  SCOTT WAS GIVEN IRON PILLS A FEW DAYS LATER PEGGY FOUND SCOTT SUITED UP TO
CONTINUE FOOTBALL PRACTICE.
  I WENT TO PICK HIM UP AT SCHOOL. WHEN I FOUND HIM SUITED UP, I WOULD NOT LET 
HIM PLAY,"PEGGY SAID, "HE CRIED ALL THE WAY HOME AND CONTINUED TO CRY IN HIS 
ROOM. I THINK ME NOT LETTING HIM PLAY EMBARRASSED HIM."
  SCOTT'S IRON PILLS HAD NO EFFECT. OTHER SIGHNS OF ILLNESS DEVELOPED. SCOTT
COMPLAINED OF HIS GUMS HURTING AND HE HAD NO ENERGY. ONE DAY A TEACHER BECAME
UPSET WITH HIM FOR GOING TO SLEEP IN CLASS.
  FURTHER MEDICAL TESTS REVEALED SCOTT HAD A DANGEROUSLY LOW RED BLOOD COUNT.
ANOTHER TEST WAS ARRANGED FOR OCT. 19
  HOWEVER, SCOTT PLANNED TO GO TO THE STATE FAIR OCT. 19 WUTG A GROUP OF NINTH
GRADERS, HE WAS THE FIRST TO APPLY FOR ONE OF THE SEVEN VACANT BUS SEATS OPEN 
TO THE EIGHT GRADE CLASS.
  "HE WAS VERY UPSET ABOUT MISSING THE TRIP AND SO WE DECIDED TO TAKE HIM TO THE
EMERGENCY ROOM AT ALBEMARLE HOSPITAL TO SEE IF HE COULD GET THE TEST DONE 
BEFORE THE TRIP."DeWITT SAID.
  A DOCTOR AT THE ALBEMARLE HOSPITAL SAID SCOTT NEEDED TO BE HOSPITALIZED. THE
NEXT DAY SCOTT AND HIS FAMILY WERE MADE THE FIRST OT TWO TRIPS TO KING'S 
DAUGHTER HOSPITAL.
  HE WAS NOT FEELING THAT BAD THEN WHEN WE TOOK HIM TO THE HOSPITAL."PEGGY SAID.
HE BROKE A WHEELCHAIR BY DOING WHEELEES AND WAS CHALLENGING EVERYONE AT THE 
HOSPITAL TO PLAY AIR HOCKEY WITH HIM."
  SCOTT TREATED THE LEUKEMIA LIKE IT WAS MEASLES OR THE MUMPS AND HE WANTED TO 
KNOW WHEN HE WOULD GET WELL, PEGGY SAID.
  HE WOULD SAY, 'I HAVE BEEN SICK AND NOW WHEN AM I GOING TO GET BETTER, PEGGY 
SAID , STATING THAT THE THERAPY SNAPPED HIS STRENGTH AND REDUCED HIS ABILITY TO 
FIGHT INFECTION.
  FOLLOWING SEVEN DAYS OF TREATMEN, SCOTT RETURNED HOME WITH ORDERS NO TO GO 
OUTSIDE OR BE CLOSE TO VISTORS BECAUSE OF INFECTION DANGER.
  TWO DAYS AFTER HE RETURNED HOME, SCOTT COLLAPSED AND WAS READMITTED TO KING'S 
ANOTHER FIVE DAY TEATMENT BEGAN.
  IF HE HAD A TWIN, THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN A CHANCE THAT A BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT
COULD HAVE HELPED, BUT...."PEGGY SAID.
  SCOTT WON THE HEARTS OF MANY HOSPITAL STAFFERS. IT WAS THROUGH A NURSE AT THE
HOSPITAL JOE THEISMANN LEARNED OF SCOTT'S ILLNESS. SCOTT ALSO DEVELOPED 
NICKNAMES FOR HOSPITAL STAFFERS INVOLVED ON HIS TREATMENT.
  ONCE IN ANGER OVER THE NUMBER OF BLOOD SAMPLES TAKEN FROM HIM, SCOTT YELLED
THAT HE WAS GOING TO SKIN THE NEXT PERSON WHO TRIED TO STICK A NEEDLE IN HIM.
  AMIDST THE PAIN, A MISCHIEVOUS BOY REMAINED HIS PARENTS LAUGH WHEN THEY RECALL
A SPECIAL REMOTE CONTROL TOY AN AUNT BOUGHT SCOTT.
  WITHIN 30 MINUTES , SCOTT HAD THE THING TO ROLL OUT OF HIS ROOM AND TO THE 
NURES' STATION WHERE IT WOULD SHOOT THE NURSES SEVEN TIMES AND THEN RETURN TO
HIS ROOM,"PEGGY SAID.
  SCOTT WAS SO CLOSE TO MANY PEOPLE.'"PEGGY SAID. HE COULD BE BEST BUDDY WITH
A FIVE-YEAR OLD AND WITH SOMEONE HIS FATHER'S AGE.
  PEGGY STATED THAT THE DAY SCOTT DIED A PROLONGED FEVER THE BOY RETAINED FOR
SEVERAL WEEKS ENDED AS THE SUN ROSE.
  I REMEMBER TELLING SCOTT HOW BEAUTIFUL THE SUNRISE WAS, NOT KNOWING THAT IN A 
FEW HOURS SCOTT WOULD BE DEAD, PEGGY SAID, WHEN I WENT IN THE ROOM AFTER ,THERE
 WAS SUCH PEACE THERE , I COULD FEEL THAT GOD HAD COME TO TAKE CARE OF HIM.

  GATES COUNTY INDEX IS A PUBLICATION AND HOME OFFICE IS IN AHOSKIE N.C.
              (SCOTT WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE CLASS OF "84")



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