Former Vice President Dick Cheney is recovering in the Intensive Care Unit of Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Va., after undergoing heart transplant surgery Saturday.

In 2010, Cheney had a Left Ventricular Assist Device implanted for treatment of end stage heart failure. The former vice president has been on the cardiac transplant list for more than 20 months.

Although Cheney and his family do not know the identity of the donor, they says they will be forever grateful for this life-saving gift. Cheney's family says he is thankful to the teams of doctors and other medical professionals at Inova Fairfax and George Washington University Hospital for their continued outstanding care.