Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin revealed this Friday that his fiancée, Carolina Matovac, received a heart transplant this summer after a traumatic health scare during a vacation in France. In a joint letter, the couple shared details about Matovac’s severe heart failure, which began with the 25-year-old feeling unwell for a few days.
Matovac was transferred to a hospital in France, where she remained on life support for weeks before benefiting from a heart transplant. Finally, she was able to return to Sweden, the couple’s home country, where she began her rehabilitation process. According to Dahlin, he is on his way to a “full recovery.” The couple, who share the same birthday, have been together for several years. Dahlin, who was named captain of the Sabres before last season, delayed his arrival in Buffalo as long as possible at the start of training camp. He is expected to be fully ready for the season, although Matovac remains in Sweden for now. The prominent defender decided to share the details of the experience to raise awareness about CPR training and organ donation. The experience was revealing for Dahlin, and he said he hopes to highlight the people and infrastructure that helped his family.Fortunately, she received CPR on multiple occasions, and even for a couple of hours straight to keep her alive, which ultimately saved her life. Without receiving CPR, the outcome would have been unimaginable. It’s difficult to even think about the worst-case scenario.
Rasmus Dahlin
Dahlin was the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft, the second Swedish player to be selected first overall. He finished sixth in the Norris Trophy voting last season after scoring 68 points (17 goals, 51 assists) in 73 games, averaging 24:14 minutes per game. The Sabres are looking to make the playoffs this season for the first time in Dahlin’s career.We want to recognize the tireless and often thankless efforts of emergency and health professionals everywhere. We cannot thank all organ donors enough, and we are grateful beyond words for the new life that organ donation has provided to Carolina. We hope that we can all reflect on how fortunate we are to have the people and experiences that we share together every day.
Rasmus Dahlin
While Carolina is still working on her rehabilitation to return with me to Buffalo, she has shown incredible determination, spirit, positivity, and resilience that amaze me. This has undoubtedly been the most challenging chapter of our lives, yet it is something we have learned a lot from.
Rasmus Dahlin
