Simon Keith

Simon Sean Keith CM[1] (born 25 May 1965) is a British/Canadian soccer player. He is the first athlete to have played professional sports after having undergone a heart transplant.

Simon Keith
CM
Personal information
Full name Simon Keith
Date of birth (1965-05-25) 25 May 1965
Place of birth Lewes, England
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
1971–1983 Lansdowne Soccer Association
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1984–1985 Victoria Vikings
1987–1989 UNLV Rebels
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1983–1984 Bromley FC
1989 Victoria Vistas 22 (5)
1990 Montreal Supra 9 (1)
1990 Winnipeg Fury 11 (0)
1989–1990 Cleveland Crunch (indoor) 52 (6)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

To raise awareness for organ donation, he founded the Simon Keith Foundation in 2011.

Early life and education

Simon Keith was born on 25 May 1965, to David Keith,[2][3] and Sylvia.[4] The family moved to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in 1967.[2] He played his youth soccer for the Victoria Boys Club and later the Lansdowne Evening Optimists. He went to Mount Douglas Secondary School[2] from 1981 to 1983, where he played on a soccer team with notable teammates Jeff Mallett and John Hughes.

He subsequently gained a scholarship to play soccer at the University of Victoria[2] for the Vikings soccer team where in 1984 he was diagnosed with myocarditis, a deterioration of the heart muscle.[2]

In 1986, he was the recipient of a heart transplant, the donor being 17 year old Jonathan Edward, from Newport, Wales, who had died while playing soccer.[5] The surgery was done in Papworth Hospital outside London[6] by Dr. Mohsin Hakim and Sir Terence English.[7] He then became the first athlete to have played professional sports after having undergone a heart transplant.[5]

Sports career

Following recovery from his surgery, Keith moved to Las Vegas in 1987 to attend the University of Las Vegas where he played soccer for the UNLV Rebels with his older brother Adam. Keith won numerous awards at UNLV including the Student-Athlete of the Conference and USA's Most Courageous Athlete. Keith was the number one overall pick in the 1989 professional indoor soccer draft.[8] by the Cleveland Crunch of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL). Keith also played professionally for the Victoria Vistas, the Winnipeg Fury and Montreal Supra of the Canadian Soccer League.[9]

Speaker

At the age of 50 he said:

Within me beats the heart of an incredible young Welsh athlete, whose loss of life enabled me to live mine. Since receiving this gift of life, I have dedicated my time advocating for organ donation awareness and the benefits of living an active lifestyle following an organ transplant.[10]

Keith spoke at the White House in 2016 as part of President Obama's Organ Summit. Keith has also spoken at the Canadian and British Parliaments and travels the world telling his story and inspiring others. Keith is now the CEO of the Simon Keith Foundation,[11] founded to increase awareness of organ donor awareness and educate transplant recipients. Keith is one of the longest-living heart transplant recipients and has lived the majority of his life with his second heart. In March 2019, Keith underwent his second heart transplant surgery along with a kidney transplant.

Keith belongs to the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame and the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame. In 2017, he was honored as Canada's Humanitarian of the Year. In 2022, Keith was awarded the prestigious Silver Rebel Award as a member of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Athletic Hall of Fame.

Second heart transplant

In March 2019 he received a second heart transplant and a new kidney in San Diego.[12]

Simon Keith Foundation

To raise awareness for organ donation, he founded the Simon Keith Foundation in 2011.[12] Since its founding The Simon Keith Foundation has raised millions of dollars in support of the families of youths who have undergone organ transplants as well as raise awareness for organ donation. In 2021 The Simon Keith Foundation announced two scholarships. In partnership with the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame, The Simon Keith Foundation will award a scholarship to a graduating high school senior whose life has been affected by organ donation or transplantation. In Canada, The Simon Keith Foundation has partnered with the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame and the University of Victoria to offer a similar scholarship. Both awards will be endowed and awarded annually in perpetuity.

Keith was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2022 "for his inspirational advocacy of organ donation and for his dedicated support for transplant recipients."[1]

Personal and family

Keith is married to Kelly and they have three children.[2][13]

References
  1. "Order of Canada appointees – December 2022". The Governor General of Canada. 29 December 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  2. "Simon Keith | Hall of Famers | Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame". www.snshf.com. Archived from the original on 17 June 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  3. Squires, Sally (1 August 1989). "Three years ago, Simon Keith was dying of heart disease at the age of 21. Now he's a pro soccer team's top draft choice". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 18 July 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  4. Miech, Rob (23 June 2007). "His heart was in the game - Las Vegas Sun Newspaper". lasvegassun.com. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  5. Smith, Mark (12 July 2019). "'I'm alive because a teen who died playing football gave me his heart'". WalesOnline. Archived from the original on 18 July 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  6. "Soccer Player With Transplanted Heart Upsets Thinking About Rehabilitation". Los Angeles Times. Victoria. 23 November 1990. Archived from the original on 18 July 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  7. "His heart was in the game". Victoria: Las Vegas Sun. 23 June 2007. Retrieved 27 September 2011.
  8. LaFontaine, Pat; Valutis, Ernie; Griffin, Chas; Weisman, Larry (2000). Companions in Courage: Triumphant Tales of Heroic Athletes. Hachette Digital. ISBN 9780446527057.
  9. "Simon Keith". Stats Crew.
  10. Campbell, Deirdre. "Longest surviving heart transplant recipient says it's time to change the way we do organ donation". News Powered by Cision. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  11. "The Simon Keith Foundation".
  12. Dheensaw, Cleve (1 April 2019). "Simon Keith out of hospital after second life-saving transplant". Times Colonist. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  13. Southern Nevada, (Las Vegas) Sports Hall of Fame

Further reading
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