Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk has undergone a “successful liver transplant” thanks to an anonymous donor, the team announced late Tuesday.
“Melnyk and the anonymous donor are both resting comfortably and doing well,” the NHL club said in a statement.
Melnyk, 55, went into surgery at noon on Tuesday and the transplantation was complete at just after 8 p.m.
The transplant comes just days after Senators President Cyril Leeder reached out to the public to find a live liver donor on Melnyk’s behalf, due to what Leeder called a “life-threatening condition.”
More than 1,000 potential donors called Melnyk’s medical team after the appeal last Thursday.
The Senators owner has been dealing with health issues since mid-January, and was admitted to hospital in April ago due to the onset of liver-related complications.
Live liver donation involves removal a portion of the living donor’s liver and transplanting into the recipient. The liver regenerates itself within 90-120 days and returns back to its normal size.
It can sometimes take years to find a matching donor.
Toronto General Hospital says the organ donation team will provide a progress update on Melnyk and the donor later this week.
