Victoria athlete Simon Keith has undergone a heart transplant – for the second time.
Keith, a former pro soccer player, was the first athlete in the world to play a professional sport after getting a heart transplant.
Keith's charitable foundation announced on Facebook that after more than four months on a transplant list, he would receive a new heart and kidney. It confirmed on Monday that the heart transplant was a success, and that the kidney transplant was to follow in the next 24 hours, CTV News reports.
Keith was diagnosed with a heart condition in 1984, while playing for the University of Victoria Vikings. After receiving a heart transplant, he went on to play professional soccer in Las Vegas.
Recently, his heart and kidney deteriorated, and he was placed on dialysis three times a week.
Keith was inducted into to the Victoria Sports Hall of Fame in 2016
– with files from CTV Vancouver Island