“A Stranger Saved My Life” Rhys Thomas Shares Emotional Transplant Journey

Former rugby star Rhys Thomas has been given a second chance at life after a successful heart transplant in Cape Town following nearly ten years of battling heart failure. ... The post “A Stranger Saved My Life” Rhys Thomas Shares Emotional Transplant Journey appeared first on Good Things Guy.

May 18, 2026 - 06:28

“A Stranger Saved My Life” Rhys Thomas Shares Emotional Transplant Journey

Former rugby star Rhys Thomas has been given a second chance at life after a successful heart transplant in Cape Town following nearly ten years of battling heart failure.

Western Cape, South Africa (18 May 2026) – A decade ago, Rhys Thomas was told his life would never look the same again after a catastrophic heart attack ended his rugby career. Today, the former international player is back home in Cape Town, recovering from a successful heart transplant and speaking about the incredible gift that gave him another shot at life.

The 43-year-old former rugby prop has lived through a journey that would break many people. Once known for his power on the field playing professional rugby in Wales, Rhys has spent the past decade navigating heart failure, multiple surgeries, emotional battles and years of uncertainty while waiting for a transplant that would finally change everything.

And just a few weeks ago, he got the call he had been hoping for almost ten years.

At 7am, his phone rang. Cape Town cardiac surgeon Dr Willie Koen was on the other side of the line with life-changing news… a donor heart had become available and the transplant surgery would happen that same day. For Rhys, the moment was surreal.

“He said, ‘Can you get to the hospital by 10:30?’. I was incredibly nervous but excited. I got to the hospital, went for a shave and shower and spent those last minutes praying and meditating with my partner, Kez Green.”

Rhys Thomas (right) and his partner Kez Green (left) are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their baby in a few months’ time | Photo Credit: Netcare

Born and raised in South Africa, Rhys attended King Edward VII School in Johannesburg alongside rugby stars Joe van Niekerk and Bryan Habana before heading overseas to pursue his professional rugby career. Although South African by birth, he played for the Wales national rugby union team after starting out with Newport RFC in South Wales.

Rugby was his identity. It was his future and life. Then, during training in 2012, everything changed in an instant.

“You never expect this to happen to you, and then boom, it takes you down,” Rhys says.

The heart attack ended his rugby career at just 29 years old and sent him into a long and difficult medical battle. Despite undergoing two heart surgeries in the United Kingdom, he was eventually left with end-stage heart failure. Doctors implanted a battery-operated left ventricular assist device (LVAD) to help pump blood through his body while he waited for a transplant.

The device helped keep him alive but life became incredibly difficult.

“This intervention bought him time but not quality of life. For someone who lived for sport, being tethered to batteries and unable to swim or shower normally is survival, not living,” explains Dr Koen.

The physical struggles soon became emotional ones too. Rhys has openly spoken about battling depression and addiction after losing both his career and sense of self. In 2019, concerned friends intervened and flew him to Netcare Akeso Stepping Stones in Cape Town for treatment focused on addiction and mental health support. Rhys says the experience helped him rebuild his life.

After living in the UK for 24 years, he made the difficult decision to return home to South Africa 18 months ago in the hope of finally receiving the transplant surgery he desperately needed.

“I was on the transplant list there for eight years. I had a lot of medical care in the UK, but ultimately I left to come home to South Africa because the UK doctors had concerns around performing the transplant surgery and my chances of survival afterwards. When I finally left the UK, I had to leave my children there. My youngest is just 19 years old, so it was not a decision I took lightly,” he says.

Back in Cape Town, Rhys found a new purpose helping others through breathwork and wellness practices. He now works with clients navigating transformational moments in their lives and is also one of the co-founders of Saunahaüs, a wellness facility in the city.

But while he was helping others heal, his own health was rapidly deteriorating.

“I was feeling terrible. I was breathless and I couldn’t walk very far. I’d been using the LVAD for many years, but towards the end it just felt very different. I’d had a few issues with it over the last year, and I had to go to hospital twice. We knew the machine was on its last legs.”

That’s when he turned to Dr Koen.

“I felt the time was right and that he was the doctor to get me through the transplant surgery. It was a tough decision to go ahead with the transplant but I trusted my gut.”

The operation itself was incredibly complex. Years of previous surgeries had left extensive scar tissue inside Rhys’ chest cavity, creating major risks during the procedure.

“Some of the things Dr Koen did during the surgery were amazing. There were two inches of scar tissue in my chest cavity and he managed to get through that. It was expertly handled. The team was just fantastic,” says Rhys.

Dr Koen says hearing Thomas’s story deeply affected him.

“I was so touched when I heard about the difficult journey he had walked to reach this point that I felt compelled to help him.”

After the operation, Rhys woke up in ICU surrounded by his children.

“My next memory was waking up in the surgical ICU two days later with my children around my bed. It was so special. It was my third open-heart surgery and I knew the transplant came with challenges. The way I envisioned it was that if I woke up and saw my children, I would know I had made it.”

“After the operation, I was able to hold my old heart in my hands. It was a very emotional experience. Afterwards, I cried the entire day. It was a release I needed but also a reckoning with what someone had given me.”

Now recovering at home, Rhys says he is taking things slowly. Daily walks, medication and careful recovery have become part of his new normal, but for the first time in years, he feels genuine excitement about the future.

He also wants South Africans to understand the importance of organ donation.

“A stranger’s family, in their darkest moment, chose to save my life. That generosity deserves to be honoured by living well.”

Dr Koen agrees and says far too many South Africans are still dying while waiting for life-saving organs.

“One donor can save seven lives but only if your family knows that’s what you wanted,” he explains. “We need to normalise these conversations.”

For Thomas, this new heart has become far more than a medical procedure. It represents hope, healing, family and the chance to start again.

“It’s been a whirlwind few weeks but I feel incredibly grateful and lucky. Having a new heart feels like a dream; I have to pinch myself. I’m getting used to feeling my heart beating in my chest. I couldn’t have dreamed of a better outcome. At last, I feel like I have a future to be really excited about.”

For more information about registering as an Organ Donor, click here. Or to learn more about why it is important to TELL your loved ones about your decision, click here.