A mother from Derry has offered her wholehearted thanks to James McClean for his act of charity towards her sick daughter.
Sharon McCleary’s four year-old daughter, Darragh, has rhabdomyosarcoma - a rare form of cancer - and is currently receiving chemotherapy treatment. Darragh, however, will soon need to travel to Florida where she has been accepted for specialist proton therapy.
McClean is currently preparing for Euro 2016 with his Ireland teammates following a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Belarus in Cork, but Darragh's mother Sharon revealed to The Derry Journal how the 27-year-old went out of his way to make a £1,000 donation towards the treatment costs:
I received a message to say James was trying to get in contact with me, then I received a text from James himself saying he was sorry to hear about Darragh and that he would like to donate the money and a signed jersey,
I thanked him and he said he was glad he could help and that he would keep Darragh in his prayers.
I was shocked at first, then really overwhelmed that he offered to do such a great thing. James is an absolute gentleman and I will be forever grateful to him and everybody else that has helped us along the way, the support has been amazing. I can’t thank everybody enough.
It's not the first time McClean has proved himself one of football's good guys, even if Premier League fans - and in particular Sunderland fans - don't quite view him as such.
Naturally, we wish Darragh the very best with her treatment in America, and if you'd like to donate you can do so at www.crowdfunding.justgiving.com/christine-graham
