Not as distant as you'd think. I could actually see it being that the recipient is close enough you'll get information regularly about the person (i.e. small events that happen), rather than a complete stranger who you'd hear from only occasionally if at all.

I also wonder how much pressure he was under to help because of the match, and how much he felt that he'd be disappointing the people around him if he didn't. I know as a kid that kind of pressure would have weighed on me heavily and has lead me to have some regrets about my past (though nothing nearly this large).