Rod Carew received a life-changing phone call Wednesday night.
According KCAL in Los Angeles, Carew was matched with a heart donor and he’s scheduled to undergo a heart transplant today.
“Usually they call late at night, so I says good. ‘Late at night, no traffic driving into L.A. and we’ll be okay,'” a smiling Carew recently told KCAL about waiting for the call.
Carew survived a major heart attack Sept. 20, 2015 while golfing alone in California. Paramedics had to revive him and he ultimately recovered with the help of a surgically implanted left ventricular assist device to keep his heart pumping, according to MLB.com.
Heart donor has been found for Angels legend Rod Carew. He will undergo transplant today pic.twitter.com/dJE0HQKQQZ
— CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) December 15, 2016
https://twitter.com/dbremer_pxp/status/809413276186607616
Praying for Rod Carew and the doctors at Cedars Sinai. Rod is having a heart transplant this morning! As Jim Hill said, prayers come true.
— Trent Rush (@TrentRushSports) December 15, 2016
May God bless Rodney Cline Carew. #Heartof29
— Dave St. Peter (@TwinsPrez) December 15, 2016
Carew and his wife, Rhonda, started the “Heart of 29” campaign earlier this year in an effort to raise money and awareness for the American Heart Association.
The 18-time All-Star and seven-time batting champion turned 71 years old on Oct. 1.
According to UpToDate, there is an 85-90 percent survival rate one year after a heart transplant and 75 percent of heart transplant patients are still alive three years after the operation.
