Rod Carew recovering from heart,kidney transplant

PANAMANIAN  baseball major league hall of famer Rod Carew, is recovering after a 13­hour surgery that included a heart and kidney transplant.

The American Heart Association (AHA) announced on Friday, December 16, that the operation, which took place at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, was a success.

“We are overwhelmed with emotions at this time ­ joy, relief, excitement and especially gratitude to all the doctors and nurses who have been with us every step of the way, and to the donor who made this possible,” said Carew’s wife Rhonda, according to the AHA report.

carewCarew, 71, played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball with seven batting titles.

He won the 1967 Rookie of the Year award and Most Valuable Player award in 1977.

In 1991 he entered the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, and is the only Panamanian in the group of immortals of the American hall.

On Sept. 20, 2015 Carew suffered a heart attack while playing golf in California.

Doctors determined he needed a heart and kidney transplant.