A seven-year-old Belfast boy who is on the waiting list for a heart transplant has unveiled a special doll installation in his name at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.
Dáithí Mac Gabhann from west Belfast unveiled the special “Waiting to Live” doll – called Dáithí’s doll – on Tuesday which is part of a campaign that symbolises the life of a child waiting for an organ transplant.
The campaign features 230 handmade dolls placed in hospitals and other key locations across the UK.
The dolls represent children who continue to wait for a transplant due to the shortage of child organ donors.
Each doll carries a badge with a QR code, allowing anyone to hear the stories of these children, in the hope of encouraging more families to consider organ donation and join the NHS Organ Donor Register.
June 2024 marked six years since Dáithí was added to the waiting list for a heart transplant. During this time his family have worked tirelessly to campaign for a move towards new law and to promote organ donation.
Many children waiting for organs such as a heart, lungs or bowel are reliant on a transplant from another child in order for the organ to be the right size and strength for what their body needs.
It is hoped that the campaign will “normalise” conversations around child organ donation, and the doll displays will spark that conversation.
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Dáithí’s dad Máirtín Mac Gabhann, said: “Our family is deeply moved by the launch of this special doll representing Dáithí, which will raise much-needed awareness for paediatric organ donation.
“For over six years, Dáithí has been waiting for the gift of a new heart, and we hope this doll will inspire more families to join the organ donor register, offering hope to children like our Dáithí. We encourage people to scan the barcode and to listen to Dáithí’s story, from his own mouth.
“We’re delighted also that this doll has found a home in the Children’s Hospital in Belfast, a place Dáithí sometimes calls his second home.
“This hospital has been a source of comfort and care for our family, and we’re grateful to see this part of Dáithí’s journey here, which will hopefully spark a few lifesaving conversations about organ donation.”
Jaclyn Jamison, Play Services Co-Ordinator at Belfast Trust said: “Staff at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children are proud supporters of the Waiting to Live Campaign to shine a light on all of the children currently waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant.
“We are very privileged to have Dáithí’s doll with his story to tell and hope that it encourages parents to consider adding their child to the organ donation register through this campaign.”
Sue Duncalf, Regional Head of Nursing – Organ Donation, Northern Ireland, from NHS Blood and Transplant Northern Ireland Team called it a “powerful campaign”.
“For many children on the transplant waiting list, their only hope is the parent of another child saying ‘yes’ to organ donation at a time of immense sadness and personal grief. Yet, families tell us that agreeing to organ donation can also be a source of great comfort and pride.”
She added: “This is a powerful campaign and hopefully the display of Dáithí’s doll will bring this topic to the forefront of people’s minds.”
News Catch Up – Tuesday 1st October