Rugby Star Rhys Thomas Holds His Own Heart After Transplant
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Rhys Thomas, a former Wales rugby international, recounted the extraordinary and emotional moment he held his own heart following a life-saving transplant.
Thomas, 43, had been experiencing heart issues since a minor heart attack in 2006 after playing for Dragons RFC. A more severe heart attack in 2012 led to the implantation of a battery-powered left ventricular assist device (LVAD) to support his heart function.
After nearly ten years on the UK transplant waiting list and worsening health, Thomas relocated to his hometown of Cape Town, South Africa, in 2024, citing dissatisfaction with the UK system.
Within 18 months, in April 2025, he was offered three donor hearts in one day. Post-surgery, doctors revealed that without the transplant, he might have had only two weeks to live.
"It was quite a process in the last months, actually, for me to make peace with death because the call wasn't coming and my health was deteriorating," Thomas said.
"I was filled, at moments, with fear - fear of dying, what I was leaving behind, my children, my partner, my friends and family.
So it's just an absolute blessing, to be honest, that I'm still here - I feel very, very blessed.
I can't really explain how it feels to have a transplant, to be walking around without my machine and to be alive... it's very special."
Thomas described the 2012 heart attack while playing for Scarlets as life-changing, which led to his retirement and emergency quadruple bypass surgery, a procedure he considers himself fortunate to have survived.
"My health was really poor," said the seven-time capped prop. "I couldn't even walk 40 metres without stopping four or five times. So it was a lot to take."
'I made peace with dying'
By 2014, Thomas had been fitted with an LVAD, a mechanical device that assists blood circulation when the heart is too weak. This device includes a cable exiting through the abdomen, connecting an internal pump to an external controller and batteries, which must be worn outside the body. The exit site requires careful maintenance to prevent infection.
"In that time, through those 12 years, I went through a huge process of transformation, through a tremendous amount of suffering, mentally, emotionally, physically," he explained.
"It was really challenging. I was also navigating the transition from rugby, so a lot of questions around my identity, my purpose. And I struggled."
In November 2024, Thomas moved to Cape Town after being informed he was not considered "sick enough" for a heart transplant unless his condition worsened significantly—a decision he disagreed with.
According to NHS Blood and Transplant, donor hearts in the UK are allocated based on urgency, blood type, donor–recipient compatibility, geography, and waiting time. Patients are categorized into three tiers: super urgent, urgent, or routine. Thomas was placed in the routine tier.
His LVAD was approaching 11 years of use, and he noted that his device was the longest anyone had lived with, raising concerns that failure could lead to rapid health decline before a donor heart was found.
"It was a big move, a big, brave decision [to leave the UK]," he said. "But it was what I believed was right for me."
Thomas relocated with his partner, leaving his four adult children in Wales.
After joining the transplant list in Cape Town, his health deteriorated quickly. To cope, Thomas embraced meditation, self-improvement, and religion, learning to accept the possibility of death.
Then, the awaited call came. While stuck in traffic, he was informed that three donor hearts matching his blood type and size were available that day.
Thomas contacted his family, who immediately traveled to South Africa.
"We'd prepared for this moment... to mobilise the family, because I really wanted my children to be there upon my awakening," he said.
"I had made peace with both ways, whether I were to die or to survive. But if I did survive, I would love to see my children upon waking."
'It was gratitude for my heart'
Thomas had three hours to reach the hospital, as donor hearts are ideally transplanted within six hours of removal.
"I was very nervous initially," he admitted.
"I was able to pick my partner up and we went to the beach and sat there for about half an hour doing some prayer and meditation.
I went to the hospital then, and I was just so ready. I was very peaceful."
During the six-hour surgery, surgeons faced difficulties due to scar tissue from Thomas's third open-heart operation. However, the donor heart began beating immediately after implantation.
Two days post-operation, Thomas awoke to find his children at his bedside.
Upon waking, he experienced euphoria, a common phenomenon among heart transplant recipients.
"I was just in tears most days, just with immense gratitude that I was alive."
Thomas spent four weeks in hospital and described periods of struggle. Around day 14, he "crashed" and felt disconnected from the outside world.
Doctors revealed his heart had been in one of the worst conditions they had seen in a living patient, estimating he might have had only two weeks left without surgery.
One doctor remarked that his condition must have felt like "breathing through a straw."
During his hospital stay, Thomas was able to hold his own heart in his hand, a moment he described as unforgettable.
"It was crazy. I mean, it carried me through my life for 43 years - it was a very special moment."
He described the heart as "insane" to see in such poor condition, with the pump and stitches still attached.
The following day, he was overwhelmed with emotion.
"I was so emotional. It was like a process, it wasn't grieving, but it was gratitude, for the heart, and for how it had held me, what we had been through together.
And the fact that I was still here," explained Thomas.
"How many people get to hold their own hearts? I don't know. Very few."
Since returning home, Thomas has been sleeping extensively and feels deeply grateful and blessed.
"[My heart] very, very much feels like it's mine, albeit I am aware that it's not, and I'm very grateful for that."
He has noticed changes in taste, with takeaways now tasting unpleasant, limiting him to whole foods and fruit.
Recovery remains his priority, and he hopes to write to his donor's family to express gratitude in the future.
Thomas is also preparing to become a father of five, as his partner Kez is expecting a baby in August.
"I literally am so excited," he said.
"I can't wait to experience it from where I am today - to parent from the space that I'm in now is gonna be spectacular.
I'm just excited for the journey thereafter and wherever that life takes us."
Who manages heart transplants in the UK?
NHS Wales' Joint Commissioning Committee (NWJCC) commissions heart transplants on behalf of health boards in Wales, while NHS Blood and Transplant manages donor matching and organ retrieval across the UK.
A spokesperson for NHS Blood and Transplant acknowledged the ongoing challenge of insufficient donated organs to meet demand.
"As more than one patient may be suitable for the same donated organ, offering schemes are designed to ensure each donation achieves the greatest possible benefit to those patients most in need," the spokesperson explained.
The Welsh government has outlined efforts to improve donation and transplantation rates in Wales through its Donation and Transplantation Action Plan.
