Roseville High's Scott Allen Back from Surgery

Roseville High School’s Scott Allen has recently returned to his job as associate principal and athletic director after recuperating for about two months from a second go-around with heart bypass-related surgery.

Allen, 46, was in St. Paul’s United Hospital for about three weeks in mid-March after surgery to replace an aortic valve that had been attacked by a staph infection, he said. 

Allen first had a quadruple heart bypass operation in 2007. He said he is thrilled to be back on the job, returning in late May.

“It (the second surgery) was scary. It caught me off guard,” Allen said. “But my recovery has been amazing,” he said, noting he was feeling good about a week after the surgery.

“I was able to do things after a week that the  (first time after surgery) I  couldn’t do after two months,”  Allen said, referring to his exercise regimen. “My stamina was better and I had a lot more energy.”

Allen said his health challenges have given him a new perspective on life. “You have to live each day to the fullest because you never know what is going to happen.”

Another lesson: “Keep a positive attitude. It really makes a difference.”