Dáithí Mac Gabhann, a nine-year-old boy who inspired changes to Northern Ireland's organ donation laws, has left hospital today after receiving a heart transplant. He was born in 2016 with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a condition where the left side of his heart did not form correctly.
Dáithí received his transplant in July following an eight-year wait. His family expressed being "beyond grateful" to the donor. They shared on social media that Dáithí left hospital with "the greatest gift of all - the gift of life, the gift of a new heart."
The operation was carried out at Freeman Hospital in Newcastle upon Tyne. Dáithí will remain in Newcastle for another three weeks before returning home. His parents, Máirtín and Seph Mac Gabhann, campaigned for years, leading to 'Dáithí's law' in June 2023, which means most adults in Northern Ireland are considered potential organ donors unless they opt out.