Baseball Hall of Famer Rod Carew to Be Joined by Father of Heart and Kidney Donor Konrad Reuland in First Pitch Ceremony April 25 at Angel Stadium

Reuland’s Unselfish Act of Kindness Gave Carew a Second Chance at
Life;

Family and Hall of Famer Encourage Others to Become Donors During
Donate Life Month

ANAHEIM, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Baseball Hall of Famer and transplant recipient Rod Carew will
participate in a special first-pitch ceremony before the Angels baseball
game on Tuesday, April 25, against the Oakland Athletics as part of the
nationwide celebration of Donate Life Month. Joining Carew for the
ceremony and throwing out the first pitch will be Ralf Reuland, father
of former NFL tight end Konrad Reuland whose generous heart and kidney
donation gave Carew a second chance at life. Also joining them for the
ceremony will be David Eckstein, former Angels World Series champion
shortstop whose family has a deep connection with transplantation.


Konrad Reuland died of a brain aneurysm in December, and his heart and
kidney were transplanted into Carew, who had been on a waiting list
since his massive 2015 heart attack. More than 3,000 heart transplants
are performed each year in the United States thanks to thoughtful donors
who have given their permission for organ donation and the support of
the their families. Still, at any given time, as many as 4,000 people
are on a waiting list for a heart or heart-lung transplant; Carew and
the Reulands hope their story will inspire others to become donors.

“This has been a very difficult and challenging journey for Rod,” said
Angels Chairman Dennis Kuhl. “Everyone in the Angels Family is extremely
impressed by the strength and optimism shown by Rod and his wife Rhonda
throughout this process. We are excited to continue to work with the
Carew and Reuland families to help raise awareness for heart disease.”

Carew wore No. 29 during his 19-year career with the Minnesota Twins and
the Angels, and his story of transplantation has inspired the American
Heart Association’s “Heart of 29” Campaign to increase awareness of
heart disease. One of Carew’s goals is to have Major League Baseball
adopt “Heart of 29” as a national charity as it did with its “Stand Up
to Cancer” campaign.

National Donate Life Month is designed to help encourage Americans to
register as organ, eye and tissue donors while honoring those that have
saved lives through the gift of donation. The month is capped by the
April 29 Run/Walk at California State University Fullerton, where more
than 12,000 people will participate in the largest event of its kind in
the country.

“In California alone nearly 22,000 people are waiting to receive a
lifesaving heart, liver, lung, kidney or pancreas transplant; but there
are simply not enough donors to meet the growing need,” said Tom Mone,
chief executive officer of OneLegacy, the largest organ, eye and tissue
recovery organization and the largest health transplant program in the
country. “Nationwide there are nearly 120,000 people currently on
waiting lists, and tragically 22 people die each day while waiting for a
life-saving organ donation. But it doesn’t need to be this way.”

Mone points out that a single organ donor can save the lives of up to
eight people and improve the lives of as many as 75 more by donating
their corneas and tissue. More than 35,000 life-saving transplants were
performed in the U.S. in 2016, more than 6 percent higher than 2015 and
a milestone that has never been reached before. Still there is much work
to be done.

Becoming an organ or tissue donor is easy. People may register at the
local DMV or online at www.donatelifecalifornia.org.

About OneLegacy

OneLegacy is the nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives
through organ, eye and tissue donation in seven counties in Southern
California: Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside, San Bernardino,
Ventura, Santa Barbara and Kern. Serving more than 200 hospitals, 11
transplant centers and a diverse population of nearly 20 million,
OneLegacy is the largest organ, eye and tissue recovery organization in
the world. For more information, call OneLegacy at 800-786-4077, or
visit onelegacy.org.

Contacts

For OneLegacy
Ross Goldberg
818-597-8453, x-1
ross@kevinross.net

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