Charlene's Project

Charlene was born with the genetic condition Cystic Fibrosis and spent lots of time in and out of hospital during her life for treatment such as intravenous antibiotics. During the last 12 months of her life her health deteriorated and she spent more time in hospital than out with recurrent chest infections.

As hospital stays increased Charlene was unable to attend school, she achieved her AS’s but was too ill to complete her A Levels. Charlene was placed on the transplant list for a lung transplant in October 2009 and instead of sitting back and wallowing, whilst on the waiting list Charlene worked hard to raise the necessary money to build a school in Uganda naming it “Charlenes Project” She visited Uganda in March 2008 and hoped to go back this year but was unable to due to her health.

Talking of her project before her death she said “I loved Uganda and saw how little the children had there. I want to make it possible for some children there to get an education. That way my WAITING will have made their life better.”


Sadly Charlene passed away on 30th October 2010 after a 18months on the transplant waiting list - her time ran out. Speaking of his daughter Charlene’s father Dickie says "She was totally inspirational."

"I'm proud to have known her. In her short life, she accomplished so much more than I or anyone ever will. She never once complained about having Cystic Fibrosis or what she was going through."


More than 10,000 people in the UK need a transplant to save or transform their lives 3 people die every single day waiting for a transplant.

Charlene's father Dickie is now keen to raise awareness of Organ Donation by telling his daughters amazing story and encouraging more people to sign the Organ Donor Register so other families do not have to suffer such a loss like that of his daugher Charlene.

Check out this incredibly moving video of Charlenes Journey.

We are sure you will agree that it is a truly inspirational story about a brave young woman. To read more about the continuing work and the legacy Charlene leaves please visit the Charlene's Project website: http://www.charlenesproject.org/

We need YOU to help us raise awareness this Christmas!

With less than a month to go till Christmas, we're getting started on our Christmas Media campaign for 2010! It has been hugely successful every year so far, and the most important element of this campaign is you! We need our supporters who have been affected by transplantation or organ donation to get in touch if they feel they could help us.

What is the LLTGL Christmas Media Campaign?
Every Christmas, we create press releases for volunteers from all over the country who offer to share their story with us and the media. Christmas is a particularly appropriate time as it's a period when we think of giving to and supporting others, a theme that ties in well with organ donation. We then pitch these to local newspapers (and sometimes on a wider scale, if appropriate). Volunteers are consulted throughout and there is never any obligation.

Who does LLTGL need for this?
Anyone affected by organ donation or transplantation! Perhaps you're waiting for a transplant, maybe you're alive today thanks to the gift of a stranger. Are you a donor family member who's keen to help spread the word? Perhaps you're a friend or family member who has been touched by these issues and you want to do your bit. Every story is powerful in its own unique way, and if you think you might be able to help us by sharing yours, we'd love you to get in touch.

OK I want to help, what now?
Email info [at] lltgl.org.uk and we will send you some basic questions which will help us start creating your press release. We will then get back in touch with you to go through the release and ensure you're happy with everything before we go any further.

Facts and figures are great, but it's been proven time and time again that the best way to strike a chord with the public is to demonstrate the reality behind the statistics. With your help, we can enable more people to understand just why organ donation is so important, and why we all need to shout Live Life Then Give Life!

On behalf of the 10,000 people desperately waiting right now for that life-changing call.... thank you x

Team Glasgow's Masquerade Magic.

On Friday 29th October, our three Scottish advocates Kirsty, Victoria and Jac (aka Team Glasgow) hosted a glittering Masquerade Ball to raise funds for LLTGL.

The guests arrived around 7pm, donned in amazing masks and beautiful dresses, and sat down to a beautiful three course meal. Team Glasgow got up to welcome everyone and Jac explained the background to the three girls’ stories and why they were here tonight.

As part of the event, each guest received a flower seed packet with the message that these were to be planted in memory of the girls’ donors, and organ donation and LLTGL leaflets were on all tables. The evening also included several incredible singers, masked ballet dancers, an awareness-raising slideshow, a raffle and an auction!

One of the highlights of the evening was Kirsty, who received her double lung transplant a year ago, singing 'My Hero' by the Foo Fighters, in memory of her donor. It was an emotional performance and she got a wonderful response from the assembled guests.

Jac says “The night flew in but everyone seemed to be having a great time and there was a wonderful atmosphere in the room. It was such a celebration of us still being here, still standing and looking to the future - and hoping we can help others also get this opportunity.” You can read the rest of her account here and see a variety of photos from the night here.

The evening was a huge success and this fantastic trio raised over a staggering £12,000 through their efforts and hard work. We are hugely grateful to not only Team Glasgow, but to everyone who supported them in any way.

All three gorgeous girls are only alive today thanks to people who signed the Organ Donor Register. Remember: Think about it, talk about it, do something about it!

LLTGL Away Weekend

On 16th and 17th October, LLTGL held their 2010 away weekend for Trustees and Advocates in Croydon. The rather lovely ASP Events gave us use of their offices for the weekend completely free of charge, which was a huge help!

Representing our Advocate team were Lou, Kirsty, Tori and Jac, the latter three travelling down all the way from Scotland to be there.

The weekend was a huge success and extremely busy, as we tried to cram in as much information, training and brainstorming as possible! It was a wonderful opportunity for the team to get together, to share ideas, facts and information, and just to get to talk face to face - a rare opportunity due to our distribution around the country!

To everyone's delight, our brand new I'd Give You One T-shirts arrived in time for the weekend, and we are thrilled to announce that they are now on sale! You can find out more and order your T-shirt by clicking here. There will also be a Live Life Then Give Life design available shortly.

Kirsty and Matt modelling our new Ts - get yours now!
www.lltgl.org.uk/t-shirts

The British Transplant Games

On the 22nd August, LLTGL Trustee Holly Shaw and Advocate Andrea Evans had the privilege of attending the British Transplant Games - not to take part in any races we hasten to add (who knows, maybe next year!) but to host a stand and represent Live Life Then Give Life.

They set up the stand and chatted to various people about Organ Donation, and were obviously speaking to a somewhat converted audience as everyone there was affected by transplantation! However it was great to see some familiar faces such as Bethany Salmon, Catriona Hamilton of Transplant Kids and Pauline Weaver and other members of the Donor Family Network.

Everyone had the same thing in common yet the competition was as fierce as any other event in the athletic calander! Speaking to one athlete James Colbeck, he said “Training for months to compete against similarly able athletes is an achievement in itself, but the competition was fantastic. I am thankful for my background in athletics, but natural thirst for winning isn't enough anymore and for the World Transplant Games in Sweden I will have to work a lot harder. Of course I couldn't be here if it wasn't for all those involved at Manchester Royal Infirmary, friends and of course, my mum without whose gift of life [her kidney], I wouldn't be able to compete at all.”

Andrea and Holly watched races and events and found it heart-warming to think everyone at the games had the same thing in common, they had all had transplants and they wouldn’t be competing (or may not even be alive) if it wasn’t for someone signing the organ donor register and their family agreeing to donation.

Please sign the Organ Donor Register so that more people can take part in the transplant games, but not only that so more people can have a second chance at life!

Think about it, talk about it, do something about it.

Trekking for Tor

On Saturday 11th September, our fab Trustee Matt and his lovely wife Bex took on an astonishing challenge; to walk 40 miles in less than 24 hours in what they called "Trekking For Tor".

Saturday 11th is a very significant date for Matt and Bex, as their beloved friend Robyn Tainty sadly passed away this day in 2007, when she ran out of time whilst waiting for a double lung transplant.

Setting off before sunrise!

LLTGL Ambassador Tor Tremlett and the loss of Robyn were their inspiration and motivation, as the determined pair set off at an impossibly early hour, across the South Downs.

Tor texted the two constantly, encouraging them as they struggled against wind and rain, but as the day went on, Matt injured his knee, making it even more difficult. About 30 miles in, Matt's knee was extremely painful, but too stubborn to stop, he carried on until he literally could walk no further at 36 miles. The lovely Bex decided to finish the trek on her own, and completed the full 40 miles, meeting Matt at the finish.

The pair did incredibly well and their sheer determination and motivation shone through on a very miserable grey day. They have raised a staggering £1,432 between them, and if you would like to sponsor their fantastic efforts, you can do by going to www.justgiving.com/trekkingfortor.

Well done Matt and Bex - a fantastic fundraising effort!

x

Emily speaks at the ETCO conference

From 24 - 26 September, the UK hosted the European Transplant Coordinators Organisation (ETCO) conference for the first time. It was hosted at Cardiff City Hall, and took 2 years to plan. The 500 delegates included Transplant professionals from across the globe, all attending to hear lectures on the latest developments in transplantation and organ donation.

LLTGL had been approached to provide a speech as part of the Opening Ceremony on the Friday, and so Emily was sent along to present the perspective of both a transplant recipient, and a charity campaigner.

Emily's speech was 30 minutes long and during that time she talked about her own transplant story - her fight for survival, life prior to transplant, and life as it is now - and about LLTGL - our aims, our work, our mission.

At the end of the speech Emily showed our LLTGL slideshow, and as she left the stage after thanking the assembled delegates for all the incredible hard work that they do, she received a standing ovation.

It was a hugely successful talk and we look forward to working with members of ETCO again soon - well done Emily!