The news came Friday – Buffalo Sabres star and captain Rasmus Dahlin and his fiancee, Carolina Matovac had a terrible health scare earlier this summer, as Matovac went into sudden heart failure while the two were on vacation in France, and only repeated CPR treatment and the good care of medical professionals managed to keep Matovac alive.
In a letter to the public released on the Sabres’ web site, Dahlin explained the situation, noting Matovac had to be transferred to a French hospital where she was on life support for weeks before she had a heart transplant that gave her the gift of life. Matovac is now recovering, but Dahlin was grateful to everyone who helped his fiancee.
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“Carolina and I would both like to extend our heartfelt thank you to the tremendous nurses, doctors, and rehabilitation staff at the Hospital Centre of Antibes Juan– Les– Pins, Hôpitaux Universitaires de Marseille, the Sahlgrenska Hospital in Gothenburg and the Hogsbo Rehabilitation Center,” Dahlin wrote. “Without the incredible commitment, expertise, care, and sensitivity of all the people who treated Carolina, we would not be in the position that we are in today, with Carolina recovering well and on the path to a full recovery.”
Dahlin and Matovac also wanted to stress the importance of CPR training, emergency workers. and the impact of organ donation.
“We want to spotlight the importance of CPR treatment, CPR training, organ donation, and heart-related issues that impact so many people and families around the world,” they wrote. “We want to recognize the tireless and oftentimes thankless efforts of emergency and healthcare professionals everywhere. We cannot say thank you enough to all organ donors, and are appreciative beyond words for the new life that organ donation has provided to Carolina.”
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Certainly, the hockey world wishes Matovac and Dahlin well in Matovac’s recovery. And it’s also true we don’t thank our health care workers enough. But with more education and more spotlight, more everyday people will know what to do when there’s a dire emergency. And Dahlin and Matovac are thankful someone was there to help them in their time of need..
“As Carolina continues to recover, I know she is going to attack rehabilitation with the same fighter spirit she always has,” Dahlin wrote. “Along with our community in Sweden, both the Buffalo and hockey communities have embraced Carolina and I over the years, and we know they will continue to do so. Truly, we cannot say thank you enough for the continued support and we ask for continued privacy as Carolina continues on the path to a full recovery.”