Bill Clinton writes to ‘amazing' NI boy awaiting heart transplant: ‘Our world would be better if there were more people like you'
The Organ and Tissue Donation (Deemed Consent) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, is known as named in 'Dáithí's Law' in recognition of the young boy.
He was granted the Freedom of the City of Belfast in 2023 and celebrated at Belfast City Hall – becoming the youngest ever recipient of this honour.
Over the years he has received support from celebrities, including Newcastle United FC legend Alan Shearer, Man United star Marcus Rashford and TV presenter Vernon Kay who hosted the ceremony for the Sunday Life Spirit of Northern Ireland Awards where Dáithí was honoured.
A post on Donate4Dáithí on X (formerly known as Twitter) said 'it's not every day a letter comes through door in Ballymurphy from a former US President'.
A letter from the ex-President who is credited for his role in the NI peace process came on paper headed, 'William Jefferson Clinton'.
It states: 'Your dad wrote to tell me about your recent visit to City Hall, to see your name listed among the freemen of Belfast.
'I'm so proud to share that honour with someone as amazing as you. As someone who's had heart surgery myself, I know how scary it can be, and I'm so impressed by the bravery you've shown throughout your life.
'I'm also deeply inspired by the way you and your family have worked hard to make positive change across Northern Ireland.
'Our world would be better if there were more people like you. I hope I'll have the chance to meet you and your family the next time I'm in Belfast.
'Until then, keep up your great work, and know that you have a big fan pulling for you in New York.'
Lots of people commented on the post, with one person saying: 'Amazing Dáithí, such a lovely letter. I hope you get to meet Bill Clinton.'
Others described Dáithí as a 'special' and 'amazing wee boy' saying it was 'lovely to see'.
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Reuters
5 hours ago
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Scottie Scheffler on golf: 'This is not the be all, end all'
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BBC News
6 hours ago
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Daily Mail
7 hours ago
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Scottie Scheffler delivers stunning existential monologue ahead of the Open as world No 1 asks 'what is the point?' and insists his thriving golf career is 'not a fulfilling life'
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But there was also an echo of sentiments expressed lately by his great rival Rory McIlroy, who scaled his Everest at the Masters and then found himself rather unsatisfied by the relentless demand for great achievements to followed by something better. McIlroy called it the 'hamster wheel' of professional golf on Monday; Scheffler on Tuesday sounded like a man exhausted by the pursuit of new worlds to conquer ahead of the Open. It was both compelling and extremely unusual for a 29-year-old who has only ever conveyed the impression of being the most unflappable swinger on tour. 'I think it's kind of funny,' he said at the beginning of an answer to a query about the longest he had spent celebrating a victory. He ended with a long hard, stare into an existential void. 'I said something after the Byron Nelson this year that it feels like you work your whole life to celebrate winning a tournament. It only lasts a few minutes, that kind of euphoric feeling. Then it's like, okay, what are we going to eat for dinner? Life goes on. 'Is it great to be able to win tournaments and to accomplish the things I have in the game of golf? Yeah, it brings tears to my eyes. But at the end of the day, what's the point?' That was the stage when his answer began to escalate. 'This is not a fulfilling life,' he added. 'It's fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it's not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart. 'There's a lot of people that make it to what they thought was going to fulfil them in life, and you get there, you get to No 1 in the world, and they're like what's the point? I really do believe that because what is the point? 'Why do I want to win this tournament so bad? That's something that I wrestle with on a daily basis. It's like showing up at the Masters every year - why do I want to win this golf tournament so badly? Why do I want to win the Open Championship so badly? I don't know because, if I win, it's going to be awesome for two minutes. 'Then we're going to get to the next week, 'Hey, you won two majors this year - how important is it for you to win the FedExCup playoffs?' And we're back here again. 'I'm kind of sicko - I love putting in the work. I love getting to live out my dreams. But at the end of the day, sometimes I just don't understand the point.' At that stage, Scheffler stopped himself long enough to say: 'I don't know if I'm making any sense or not.' He went on: 'I love being able to play this game for a living. But does it fill the deepest wants and desires of my heart? Absolutely not. 'I love living out my dreams. I love being a father. I love being able to take care of my son. I love being able to provide for my family out here playing golf. But if my golf ever started affecting the relationship I have with my wife or my son, that's going to be the last day that I play for a living. This is not the be all, end all. 'When I sit back at the end of the year and try to reflect on things, it's just hard to explain how it doesn't satisfy. It's an unsatisfying venture. I guess what I'm trying to say is this is not the place to look for your satisfaction.' Time will tell if these are the early signs of a burnout, or a golfer hosting an intelligent discussion on the grind of expectations, or both. Until now, Scheffler has never seemed troubled by any of it in an acquisition of trophies unseen since the Tiger Woods era. Equally true is that his headlines have rarely strayed away from the fairways, to the extent an iffy putting stroke, since corrected, was often the only talking point we had. Even when that status quo was exploded in the most dramatic of ways, with his arrest over a traffic misunderstanding on his way to the PGA Championship in 2024, he shot a 66 just hours after he was pictured in orange prison scrubs. His longest slump, after he cut his hand on a wine glass at Christmas, lasted barely five months before he won the Byron Nelson and then the PGA Championship a fortnight apart in May. He has appeared a machine, or a 'robot', as he called it earlier on Tuesday, back when we were discussing why he has 'only' managed a best of seventh in the quirks of an Open on links courses. It would surprise no one if he now went and won this tournament, but not as much as it did to hear Scheffler, of all people, sounding like it all weighs too much.
