Wales rugby international undergoes heart transplant in bid to save his life

Former Wales rugby international Rhys Thomas, 43, has undergone a heart transplant in South Africa as part of efforts to save his life. Thomas, a seven-times capped prop forward, suffered a massive heart attack during a Scarlets training session in January 2012 at age 29, which was actually his second career heart attack, the first having occurred during his time at Newport Gwent Dragons. Surgeons performed a seven-hour quadruple bypass following the 2012 incident, but Thomas lost over 50% of his heart muscle as a result, ultimately necessitating the recent transplant surgery.