My name is Rick Scott, and I am the At Large AlphaNet Canada Patient Services Coordinator.

I live in London, Ontario with my wife Zoe and we also have a home in Venice Florida. I took an early retirement from Scotiabank after a 30 year career in the Automotive Finance field where I oversaw our operations internationally in the Caribbean, Mexico and Central and South America. Since retiring we have renovated 3 houses and in my spare time I enjoy golf.

I was diagnosed with Alpha-1 in 2010 as a result of my wife’s persistence in getting to the bottom of my constant shortness of breath. The first pulmonologist that I saw put it down to chronic bronchitis and emphysema attributed to smoking despite the fact I had quit smoking some 35 years earlier.

My wife continued to research and upon coming upon Alpha-1 we asked the pulmonologist to do an AAT blood test. When the results came back, he advised that my tests were “a little low”, his definition of a little low was 50 compared to a norm of 1000. We were able to get a definitive diagnosis as a result of a gene testing program being conducted in Florida. M y test results came back as ZZ.

I was referred to Doctor Chapman in Toronto and was able to commence a test study that he was conducting for an inhaled medication to treat Alpha-1. At the end of that study I was able to commence Prolastin treatments in 2013 and since then I have been stable with no further lung deterioration. I owe my ultimate diagnosis to the persistence of my wife Zoe.

I’m delighted to join the team of AlphaNet Canada coordinators to that I can give back and help other Alphas.

Coordinator:  William “Rick” Scott

Telephone:  (855) 895-5293

Territories:  General Coordinator