Belfast boy receives heart transplant after eight-year wait

A nine-year-old Belfast boy whose campaign to change organ donation laws in Northern Ireland led to the introduction of "Dáithí's Law" has received a heart transplant after an eight-year wait that his family described as the longest of any child in the world. Dáithí Mac Gabhann, who was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a rare condition in which the left side of the heart is underdeveloped, had been on the transplant waiting list since 2018. His family announced on Tuesday, July 21, that he had undergone a successful transplant and was beginning his recovery at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne.

In a statement posted on social media, the family said: "Dáithí has received the gift of a heart transplant. His wait, the longest of any child in the world for a heart transplant, is over. Dáithí is at the beginning of his recovery. There have already been some big wins for him, but there is still a long road ahead." They expressed deep gratitude to the donor and their family, calling organ donation "the greatest gift anyone can ever give" and asking for privacy for the donor family. The family urged people to continue talking about organ donation, saying "those...