Buffalo Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin revealed in an open letter that his fiancée, Carolina Matovac, nearly lost her life during a medical emergency while the two were vacationing in France this summer.
Carolina went into sudden heart failure, posing an immediate and life-threatening risk. French authorities said she needed CPR multiple times — sometimes for hours — just to stay alive.
She spent weeks on life support before finally receiving a heart transplant in France. The hospital has not been named, but Rasmus expressed gratitude to medical teams in Juan-les-Pins, Marseille, and Gothenburg, Sweden.
Carolina is in recovery and working through rehabilitation, with hopes of reuniting with Rasmus in Buffalo. Dahlin said he is deeply grateful to the doctors, nurses, and specialists who kept her alive.
The cause of her sudden heart failure has not been revealed.
Dahlin has asked for privacy as they face this difficult chapter, but he also used the moment to underscore the life-saving power of CPR training and organ donation. Both, he said, were critical in giving Carolina another chance.
Her recovery is far from complete, with difficult rehab and round-the-clock monitoring ahead, but Dahlin’s gratitude and relief came through clearly when he addressed reporters on Friday.