Boy has 'sparkle' back after 8-year wait for heart transplant

A nine-year-old boy who inspired changes to Northern Ireland's organ donation laws has received a heart transplant after an eight-year wait.

Dáithí Mac Gabhann's father had said he is so grateful that his son "has a new beautiful heart beating inside him" and that he has made "amazing progress over the last few days" since his operation.

Dáithí was born in 2016 with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, meaning the left side of his heart did not form correctly.

His family said they said they were "beyond grateful to Dáithí's donor and their family for making such a selfless decision at the most difficult time imaginable".

Máirtín Mac Gabhann said Dáithí had a "sparkle" back in his eye and that he had a "sweetie party" to watch the World Cup final.

"We couldn't have asked for better, so far," he told the Nolan Show.

However, Mac Gabhann added that life with Dáithí has been a "rollercoaster".

"Every time I allow myself to smile I kind of rein it in a bit because I know it's so early in his recovery."

He said that Dáithí had been "very nervous" ahead of the operation and "understands the consequences of things going wrong".

The operation was carried out at Freeman Hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Mac Gabhann thanked hospital staff who he described as his family's "only hope" over the past eight years.

He said for the first time ever in his life, Dáithí's lips were pink. In a photo of the nine-year-old, shared from hospital, Dáithí could be seen sitting up following the surgery.

Mac Gabhann said: "He's been blue and he's been dark blue and even navy at times, but if you zoom into that wee boy's lips they're actually pink now and his hands are warm and his feet are warm.

"Just at this early stage, I've seen how transformational organ donation and that gift is."

In 2023 a law was introduced in Northern Ireland which means that people automatically become potential organ donors unless they explicitly say they wish not to be.

The legislation was named "Dáithí's Law", after his family spent years campaigning on the issue.

Fearghal McKinney, the head of the British Heart Foundation in Northern Ireland said he was "delighted" at the news of Dáithí's heart transplant.

"Dáithí and his family's ongoing campaign has brought hope to so many people and helped save lives," he added.

"It is therefore wonderful to receive the news that Dáithí, who has endured the longest wait of any child for a heart transplant, has finally received a new heart."

McKinney encouraged others to consider their organ donation decision, record that decision, and share it with family and friends.