Former Vice President Cheney Recovering in a Falls Church Hospital

Former Vice President Dick Cheney was recovering from heart transplant surgery Saturday night at in Falls Church, according to WTOP.

Cheney, 71, suffered five heart attacks over a span of 25-years, according to WTOP. Cheney had been on the transplant list for 20 months, according to the Washington Post.

“Although the former Vice President and his family do not know the identity of the donor, they will be forever grateful for this lifesaving gift,” Cheney aide Kara Ahern said in a statement that ran on the Washington Post’s website Saturday.

More than 3,100 Americans currently are on the national waiting list for a heart transplant. Just over 2,300 heart transplants were performed last year, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. And 330 people died while waiting.

Two presidential candidates took time from their campaigns to wish Cheney a speedy recovery.

According to WTOP, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney wished Cheney a "fast and full recovery" in a post on Twitter and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum sent a written statement wishing Cheney and his family well and offering his thoughts and prayers.