LOS ANGELES — Baseball Hall of Famer Rod Carew is preparing to receive a new heart and undergo a kidney transplant.
His wife Rhonda confirmed the procedures on Thursday through the American Heart Association News.
The 71-year-old former hitting star has struggled with heart issues since September 2015 when he had a heart attack and went into cardiac arrest while undergoing a procedure to open clogged arteries.
A machine has kept Carew alive since he nearly died 15 months ago. Doctors say the kidney transplant will improve his chances for a strong recovery.
After his heart attack, Carew was diagnosed with extreme heart failure with his heart too weak to pump blood to the rest of his body.