移植幸存者西蒙·基思（Simon Keith）在维多利亚举办晚会

西蒙·基思（Simon Keith）从未想象过自己会看到60岁。1986年，当他接受心脏移植时，医生给了他额外的七年生存机会。

Simon Keith never imagined he’d see 60.

西蒙·基思（Simon Keith）从未想象过他会看到60岁。

When he underwent a heart transplant in 1986, doctors gave him a coin-flip chance of surviving another seven years. Instead, he became the first professional athlete in his sport to play with a transplanted heart – and now, nearly four decades later, he’s organizing the biggest event of his life in his hometown of Victoria.

当他在1986年接受心脏移植时，医生给了他额外的七年生存机会。取而代之的是，他成为了运动中第一位发挥移植心脏的职业运动员 - 现在，将近四十年后，他正在组织他的家乡维多利亚州一生中最大的事件。

“I never in my wildest dreams ever thought I’d be 60 years old,” Keith said. “We just had our first granddaughter. So yeah, things are good.”

基思说：“我从来没有想过要60岁的梦想。” “我们刚刚有了第一个孙女。是的，事情很好。”

Keith’s story begins in England, but it truly took root in Victoria, where he grew up and blossomed into a standout soccer player.

基思（Keith）的故事始于英格兰，但它确实扎根于维多利亚州，在那里他长大并蓬勃发展为杰出的足球运动员。

After attending Mount Douglas Secondary School, he earned a scholarship to play at the University of Victoria. There, his skills caught the attention of national scouts considering him for Canada’s 1986 World Cup roster.

在道格拉斯山中学上学后，他获得了维多利亚大学的奖学金。在那里，他的技能引起了国家童子军的关注，考虑到他参加了加拿大1986年的世界杯阵容。

But while at UVic, Keith was struck by myocarditis – a virus that attacks and deteriorates the heart muscle.

但是，在UVIC时，基思（Keith）被心肌炎击中 - 一种病毒会攻击和恶化心脏肌肉。

At the time, he wasn’t eligible for a transplant in Canada. So he returned to England and received the life-saving procedure at Papworth Hospital in London.

当时，他没有资格在加拿大进行移植。因此，他回到英国，并在伦敦的帕普沃思医院接受了救生程序。

After surgery, Keith had the courage to return to the field – this time at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. That led to the start of a professional career in 1989, when he was drafted into the Major Indoor Soccer League. He would go on to play in Cleveland, Winnipeg, Montreal and eventually, back home in Victoria.

手术后，基思有勇气返回该领域 - 这次在内华达大学拉斯维加斯大学。这导致了1989年的职业生涯开始，当时他被选为主要的室内足球联盟。他将继续在克利夫兰，温尼伯，蒙特利尔踢球，并最终回到维多利亚州。

Now, Keith is bringing it all full circle.

现在，基思（Keith）将其全部圆圈带到了整个圈子。

The Heart of Gold Gala and Concert is set for Aug. 23 at the Victoria Conference Centre. It marks the first major Canadian event hosted by The Simon Keith Foundation – a landmark moment for a man who once sat by Lake Cowichan with friends, dreaming of raising $10,000 to help a family in need.

黄金晚会和音乐会的心脏将于8月23日在维多利亚会议中心举行。它标志着西蒙·基思基金会（Simon Keith Foundation）举办的第一次加拿大大型活动，这是一个曾经与朋友一起坐在Cowichan湖（Lake Cowichan）的男子的里程碑式时刻，梦想筹集10,000美元来帮助有需要的家庭。

“Ten years later, we’ve raised $10 million,” Keith said. “We’ve helped thousands of families, and it’s taken on this life of its own.”

“十年后，我们筹集了1000万美元，”基思说。 “我们已经帮助了成千上万的家庭，这是自己的生活。”

Since its launch in 2012, the foundation has supported children undergoing life-saving transplants and advocated for organ donation. That mission remains urgent: as of April 1, 156 organ transplants have been performed in B.C. this year, with 638 patients still waiting. Nationally, as of December, 3,427 Canadians were on waitlists.

自2012年推出以来，该基金会支持接受挽救生命的移植物并主张器官捐赠的儿童。该任务仍然紧迫：截至4月1日，今年在卑诗省进行了器官移植，仍有638名患者正在等待。在全国范围内，截至12月，加拿大人有3,427名候补名单。

“People rally around a family when a child needs a transplant,” Keith said. “They hold fundraisers, bring potluck dinners – but after the transplant, people go back to their lives. And that family, and that kid, is left managing something that never goes away.”

基思说：“当孩子需要移植时，人们在一个家庭中集会。” “他们举办筹款活动，带来蓬松的晚餐 - 但是在移植后，人们回到了他们的生活中。那个家庭和那个孩子正在管理那些永不消失的东西。”

Keith knows that reality all too well. In 2019, he underwent a second heart transplant, along with a kidney transplant. Still, he’s never stopped advocating.

基思非常了解现实。 2019年，他与肾脏移植一起接受了第二次心脏移植。尽管如此，他从未停止提倡。

The gala will be more than a one-night event. The weekend will include a VIP gathering at a private home on Friday, golf outings, and an after-party at the Strathcona Hotel to cap it all off. The concert lineup is still under wraps, but Keith said four major acts are booked.

晚会将不仅仅是一晚活动。周末将包括周五在私人住宅的VIP聚会，高尔夫郊游，以及在Strathcona酒店举行的派对，将其全部限制在内。音乐会阵容仍在结束上，但基思说，预定了四项重大行为。

More than 600 guests are expected at the main event, and support has poured in from across the city.

预计在主赛事上有600多名客人将从整个城市涌入。

“I just walk into a room, see one of my old pals and ask for help – and they open their checkbook,” Keith said. “The response has been incredible.”

基思说：“我只是走进一个房间，看到一个老朋友，寻求帮助 - 他们打开了支票簿。” “回应令人难以置信。”

Planning the gala has brought together 50 to 75 volunteers, all working toward a shared vision. And while raising money is a key goal, Keith said success will be measured by something less tangible.

计划晚会已经汇集了50至75名志愿者，所有志愿者都致力于共同的愿景。基思说，虽然筹集资金是一个关键目标，但成功将以不太明显的东西来衡量。

“It’s not a number. It’s not whether the food tastes good or the music was great,” he said. “It’s that feeling you have inside you. That’s how we’ll know.”

他说：“这不是一个数字。这不是食物的味道好还是音乐很棒。” “这就是您内心的感觉。这就是我们的方式。”

Whether the Heart of Gold Gala becomes an annual tradition is still undecided, but one thing is certain – Victoria was the only place it could begin.

黄金晚会的心脏是否成为一年一度的传统仍然不确定，但可以肯定的是，维多利亚是它可以开始的唯一地方。

“Victoria’s home,” Keith said. “It’s where I learned to play sport, where I learned to live life, where I learned to love people and to fight. So yeah, there was only one choice.”

“维多利亚的家，”基思说。 “在这里，我学会了参加运动，我学会了生活，我学会了爱人和战斗的地方。是的，只有一种选择。”