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Dr. Celine Gounder, wife of the late American soccer journalist Grant Wahl, shared two letters she received from President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
It’s been more than a month since Wahl passed away while covering the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and the journalist collapsed during extra time of the quarterfinal match between Argentina and the Netherlands.
President Biden’s letter reflected the personal tragedy he experienced when he lost his first wife Neilia Hunter Biden
The wife of American sportswriter Grant Wahl received letters from the White House
I know what it means to lose a spouse: your rock, your inspiration, your everything. I hope you find comfort in knowing that the love you had for Grant and the love he had for you will live on. He is with you always.
“Grant will always be remembered as a journalist who was bold enough to hold up a mirror to the sports industry so his readers could see the good, the bad and the true.
“He searched for the truth to the best of his ability and always stood up for what was right. He treated people with decency, dignity and respect.
‘He took care of everyone and left no one behind. And he welcomed everyone to his table. Grant was a good man with a big heart, and I know the memory of him will live on through you, all the lives he touched and all the goodness he brought to the world.
‘Celine, it may take many seasons, but I promise you the day will come when the memory of Grant will bring a smile to your lips rather than a tear to your eye. My prayer for you is that this day comes sooner rather than later.’
President Biden wrote: “I promise you, the day will come when the memory of Grant will bring a smile to your lips rather than a tear to your eye.”
Biden met his first wife, Neilia Hunter, while they were both in college over spring break in the Bahamas. Neilia was born in the town of Skaneateles, New York, located about 30 minutes southwest of the city of Syracuse.
She had graduated with a degree from Syracuse University, where Biden had recently moved to study at the UB School of Law, and was a teacher in the Syracuse City School District.
After Joe was elected Senator from Delaware in December 1972, Neilia and the Bidens’ youngest daughter, Naomi, were killed in a car accident. The crash also left Biden’s two sons, Beau and Hunter, injured and in the hospital, where they both recovered.
President Biden has also lost a spouse, and his first wife, Neilia, was killed in a car accident in 1972.
Vice President Kamala Harris also sent Dr Gounder a letter reflecting on Grant’s ‘profound and unique contribution to football journalism and the world of sport’.
“The outpouring of grief and sympathy these past few days, both from across our country and around the world, proves what you knew: Grant was amazing.
“I am particularly grateful that you have used your platform to enhance the stories of those who are too often left behind and left behind.
‘Grant’s joyous spirit and compassionate heart were gifts to all whose lives he touched. His legacy will live on through you and the countless people he inspired.
Vice President Kamala Harris also wrote a letter to Dr. Celine Gounder after Wahl’s passing.
An accomplished sports journalist for over 25 years, Wahl was in Qatar covering its eighth men’s World Cup and 12th World Cup overall.
During the match, Wahl suddenly collapsed in his seat in the press box at the Lusail Iconic Stadium in Qatar.
Paramedics on the scene treated him for about half an hour before he was transported to Hamad General Hospital in Doha, where he was pronounced dead on December 10.
An autopsy by the New York City Office of the Medical Examiner revealed the cause of death to be a ruptured aortic aneurysm with hemopericardium, Gounder wrote in a blog post.
Gounder and Wahl met when they were both students at Princeton University.
Earlier that week, Wahl had visited a medical clinic, complaining of chest pains. He was given cough syrup and antibiotics in the belief that he had bronchitis.
Gounder, a leading epidemiologist and professor at New York University Grossman School of Medicine, has denied claims that Wahl’s death had suspicious motives or was in any way related to the coronavirus.
“No amount of CPR or shocks would have saved him. His death was not related to COVID. His death was not related to vaccination status. There was nothing nefarious in his death,” he wrote.
Immediately after the news of Wahl’s death, his brother Eric said Grant had received death threats after he was arrested for wearing a pro-LGBTQ+ T-shirt at a game. Eric said that he believed Grant had been murdered, a statement he later retracted.
Gounder and Wahl met when they were both students at Princeton University. They got married in 2001.