Simon Keith C.M.

Simon Keith received the ultimate gift and lived to thank someone for it.
In 1986, Keith became a heart transplant recipient and saw his life change. He was 21 years old and a budding star in soccer in his native Canada. He had a spot on Canada’s first (and so far only) World Cup team waiting for him.
Instead, Keith watched the World Cup play out on a small television in England as his body deteriorated and he came within hours of death. It took the last-second tragedy for one family to… Show more

Simon Keith received the ultimate gift and lived to thank someone for it.
In 1986, Keith became a heart transplant recipient and saw his life change. He was 21 years old and a budding star in soccer in his native Canada. He had a spot on Canada’s first (and so far only) World Cup team waiting for him.
Instead, Keith watched the World Cup play out on a small television in England as his body deteriorated and he came within hours of death. It took the last-second tragedy for one family to provide him with the miracle he needed to survive.
And then thrive. Keith not only has lived more than 25 years since receiving a new heart (a rarity for patients who have the procedure), he returned to play soccer at the highest level of the game in the United States. In the process, he became the first man to ever play professional sports after receiving a heart transplant.
Keith’s story is more than simply about the process of getting a transplant, which is dramatic and traumatic enough. It’s about the will to survive and the lessons learned from friends and family along the way. It’s about never giving up on a dream and persevering through what some people feel can be overwhelming.
In becoming an advocate and well-known speaker in the transplant community, Keith has seen too many people become afraid to push their lives to the limit. Rather than look at this gift as a chance to chase life, they often recede from it, scared to take a chance.
Through his combination of will and desire, Keith not only was able to return to the soccer field, he has gotten married, raised a family and become a successful businessman in Las Vegas.
And, 25 years after the fact, was able to return to England and meet with the father of the young man who provided him with his second chance. Their joyous reunion is enough to warm even the hardest soul. Show less