Inspirational | Author | Entrepreneur | Athlete | Philanthropist
Program Titles
- Moments of Truth
- FEAR
- 6 Characteristics of Champions
- Changing the Perception of Organ Transplantation
Simon Keith captivates audiences with his incredible story, challenges you to find your “moments of truth,” and dares you to live. He is the first person in the world to play a professional sport after undergoing a heart transplant, having received the heart of a 17-year-old.
The story has been well chronicled, including an ESPN “A Change of Heart.” Simon Keith is not just a former professional soccer player but also one of the longest-living organ transplant recipients in the world. Simon shares his remarkable story at the White House, in the British and Canadian Parliaments, and with audiences around the world.
After receiving the gift of life at just age 21 and in the middle of a remarkable soccer career, Simon resumed his soccer career at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), playing two seasons with the Rebels and garnering many honors, Student-Athlete of Year for the Conference, voted as the USA’s Most Courageous Athlete.
Simon was named the Most Valuable Player at the Senior Bowl and was drafted #1 overall into the USA’s Major Indoor Soccer League just three years after his surgery.
He founded a foundation dedicated to increasing organ donor awareness and supporting and educating transplant recipients.
His autobiography, Heart for the Game, details his unique life journey, and he directs the proceeds from his book sales toward providing athletic training for other transplant recipients who undertake an active and healthy lifestyle.
Simon is a successful entrepreneur who successfully built and sold four different companies. Most recently, Simon served as the chief operating officer of a federally designated not-for-profit organ procurement organization.
Now one of the longest-living organ transplant recipients in history, Simon has signed a significant movie deal about his life and the legendary movie producer Frank Marshall (Jurassic World, Jurassic World; The Fallen Kingdom, The Jason Bourne movies: Identity, Supremacy, Ultimatum, Legacy, Jason Bourne, Sully, Back to the Future 1, 2 and 3, Raider of the Lost Ark, and many, many more).
In 2018, Simon fell ill, as his heart and kidneys began to fail. (Heart transplant’s average longevity is just ten years). In an astounding twist of fate, in March 2019, Simon underwent a second heart transplant, as well as a kidney transplant. Against all odds, due to a complicated immune system, Simon stood less than a 1.75% chance of ever receiving the critical lifesaving gifts needed to save his life and continue this already remarkable story.
Simon is considered an expert in leadership development, organizational culture, and entrepreneurship.
Books by Simon Keith
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