Monica Savage, a 13-year-old Columbia girl who is awaiting a heart transplant, had a wish come true last night when "Scotty," the engineer from the Starship Enterprise, was "beamed up" to her seventh-floor room at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
James Doohan, who portrayed Scotty on the "Star Trek" television series and movies, visited the Owen Brown Middle School eighth-grader after appearing at a computer show yesterday at Timonium Fairgrounds.
"It was pretty neat," said Monica, who has been waiting 10 weeks for a new heart. "He plays a really big part of running the ship."
Monica's father, Tom Savage, said his daughter was "pretty excited about seeing Scotty. He boosted her spirits pretty well."
People who were in Monica's room in the pediatric intensive care unit during the visit said she appeared a little embarrassed by all the attention.
During his 15-minute, mostly private visit with the child, Mr. Doohan hugged her and talked about his own children. He mentioned that he will appear in two non-Star Trek movies due for release. He is also appearing in the film "Star Trek Generations" in area theaters.
Mr. Doohan said later he has made a number of similar visits recently in Philadelphia and Anaheim, Calif.
Dr. James J. Fehr explained that Monica has an unusual set of congenital heart defects. He said organ donation networks are continuing to search for a compatible donor for her. But "there just aren't enough organs to go around," especially for children, he said, urging that families of trauma victims consider organ donation as a way to turn personal tragedies into opportunities to save lives.
Last night's visit was arranged by the Grant-A-Wish Foundation, which runs the Children's House at Hopkins, and by the hospital's Child Life Department. Monica had seen a TV commercial on Mr. Doohan's visit to the PC Fest computer show and asked to see him.
Keith Kovacs, president of the show's sponsor, the InterTech Group, said he brings Star Trek celebrities to his shows because many computer engineers and scientists are Star Trek fans.
The Children's House at Hopkins is a residential facility for families of children who have life-threatening illnesses. It opened two years ago. The Grant-A-Wish Foundation provides programs and services to these children and makes efforts to fulfill their wishes.