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Former top rugby player Rhys Thomas hopes the public's generosity will make his dream of a new heart come true
A Welsh rugby player who suffered a heart attack during training is appealing for £500,000 - to help buy a new heart.
Rhys Thomas was just 29 years old when he suffered a heart attack during a training session with the Scarlets rugby team in 2012.
The former Wales international, who first represented the country against Argentina in 2006, resigned immediately after the attack in which he lost 50 percent of his heart muscle.
Mr. Thomas, now 38, was fitted with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), a mechanical pump that keeps his heart going, in 2014.
But the LAVD has a time limit as the father of four's heart is now too damaged to support the installation of a replacement device.
He now plans to travel 5,300 miles to San Diego in California in the hope of getting a new heart privately as, ironically, he is too healthy to be considered a priority for a transplant in the UK.
“I learned exactly how precious life is and to be grateful for every day that I get to watch my four wonderful children grow up,” he said.
“However, the harsh reality is that the clock is ticking and I need a new heart if I want to extend my life.
"The longest anyone has ever survived with an LVAD in the UK was 11 years. In September I will be marking the eighth anniversary of my LVAD."
Mr Thomas (pictured centre) suffered a heart attack in 2012 while training with Welsh rugby team The Scarlets
The heart attack caused him to lose 50 percent of the organ's muscle tissue and meant medics had to install a mechanical pump called a Left Ventricular Assist Device to keep his heart going
What is a left ventricular assist system?
A left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is an artificial pump used to treat people with severe heart failure.
It essentially keeps the heart pumping when a person's heart muscle is too weak to maintain blood flow throughout the body.
Some people are given the device if they are unlikely to survive the wait for a heart transplant.
The device is battery-operated via a cable connected to a control unit outside the skin and lasts about four to six hours.
People's lives depend on the functioning of the battery, so it issues an alarm to warn when it is running low and has backup power in case of emergency.
A graphic depicting the basic layout of a left ventricular assist system
LVADs are often adjusted to buy patients time while they wait for a heart to become available for transplant.
But ironically, because adjusting a device helps improve a patient's health, they can become a low-priority case, meaning they end up at the bottom of the list for transplant.
Currently, Mr. Thomas would have to become seriously ill, such as with a serious infection, or have his LVAD stop working, before he would be considered a high priority transplant.
However, there would be no guarantee that he would survive long enough for a heart to become available in this scenario.
Mr Thomas has already had a serious scare when he suffered a blood clot in his LAVD following surgery on his appendix which resulted in a stroke.
The former rugby player said the stress of living on borrowed time had taken its toll and he had struggled with an alcohol problem.
“Living with a machine that has literally kept me alive for the last eight years has been tough, both mentally and physically,” he said.
“All of this trauma and challenging personal circumstances led to a battle with alcohol addiction.
“Fortunately, I am now 30 months sober, four stone lighter and in the best mental and physical health I can possibly live with an LVAD.”
Mr Thomas has now launched a fundraising campaign to raise £500,000 to secure a heart transplant.
“The decision to travel abroad for a heart transplant was not an easy one for me,” he said.
"The last 10 years have been incredibly challenging for me, and my family and I have learned a lot and lost a lot. One thing I have found is myself.
“I have found inner peace and love and am grateful for every day that I get to spend with my loved ones on this earth.
Mr Thomas, pictured here, was forced to retire from professional rugby during his time with the Scarlets, aged just 29, immediately after his hearing attack and has lived at LVAD since 2014
Mr Thomas now hopes to raise £500,000 to buy a new heart for transplant in the US
The now 38-year-old, pictured here center right surrounded by his family, admitted the challenges and trauma of waiting for a heart led to alcohol addiction, but he has now recovered
"Yes, there are significant risks associated with a transplant. But given the alternative, I'm happy to take that risk."
Mr Thomas has raised just over £10,000, 2 per cent of the half a million pounds he needs for the transplant.
People can donate to his campaign through a Just give Donation page.
NHS Blood and Transplant advises that the routine waiting time for a non-emergency heart transplant is between 18 and 24 months.
However, the exact waiting time depends on factors such as a patient's health, whether they are an adult or a child, as well as finding a suitable donor who matches their blood type.