Cheney to write book on his heart problems

Former vice president Dick Cheney is planning a new memoir, this one on his heart problems that led to a transplant earlier this year.

"For the first time, the vice president will tell the very personal story of his 35-year battle with heart disease, from his first heart attack in 1978 to the heart transplant he received in 2012," said a statement from Scribner, the publisher.

Cheney -- who will author the book along with long-time cardiologist Jonathan Reiner -- said in a statement he plans to discuss "the remarkable advances in cardiac care in the United States over the last forty years."

Said Cheney: "Through the story of my own personal experience with heart disease, I hope to provide education, inspiration and hope to the millions of Americans who are facing similar challenges."

Reiner is the director of the cardiac catheterization laboratory at The George Washington University Hospital and professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

He "will provide insight into the incredible technological and medical breakthroughs that have changed the face of cardiac care in the last four decades," said Scribner.

The yet-to-be-titled book is scheduled for publication next fall.

Cheney has wrestled with heart problems throughout his public career, including stints as Chief of Staff to President Gerald Ford, U.S. House member from Wyoming, Defense Secretary during the first war with Iraq, and vice president to President George W. Bush during the second war with Iraq.

He underwent his heart transplant in March.

In 2011, Cheney hit the bestseller list with In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir.