William Dom Sciallo

William Dom Sciallo, born May 15, 1946, died Nov. 5, 2011 at the Palo Alto VA hospital after a long wait for a liver transplant that never came.

He was a resident of San Mateo. A standout high school track athlete and member of the Bridgeport (Conn.) 1969 NCAA championship team, Bill was drafted and served in Vietnam, where he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for valor and two Purple Hearts. The second Purple Heart was received in an incident that changed but which he didn’t allow to define his remaining life. Bill lost his right leg and severely damaged his remaining leg. In the process of saving his life, he received blood that was tainted with hepatitis-C.

Upon his return and retirement from the Army, Bill married Paula who became his caregiver for the next 41 years. Bill retired from the San Mateo County School organization after 31 years, where he was known for his ability to draw out severely handicapped students and for the many field trips he organized for his special education students. The hepatitis-C he contracted in Vietnam began to take its toll 15 years ago. Bill was on the liver transplant list for more than 13 years but never managed to get what would have saved his life, since so few livers are donated. Throughout that process and with the extraordinary help of Paula, Bill managed to maintain a positive outlook.

Bill is survived by his wife Paula as well as his many nieces and nephews and all of their "surrogate” children and grandchildren.

Bill and Paula Sciallo wish to acknowledge the excellent care received at the VA facilities, especially Menlo Park where he spent most of the last year of his life. In remembrance of Bill, please consider becoming an organ donor. It’s easy to register and you could save a life like Bill’s: www.donatelifecalifornia.org.