What they do
The predominant aim at Live Life Then Give Life is to save and improve the lives of organ and tissue transplant patients in the UK. They do this in a number of ways including:- Media campaigns
- Talks and presentations
- Key public events
- Publicising information
- Online transplant community forum
- And of course, their now famous T-shirts
Live Life Then Give Life feel strongly that united they are stronger, which is why they are proud to work closely with other transplant organisations and charities including NHS Blood and Transplant, Donor Family Network, Transplant Kids and the Transplant Support Network.
The story behind it all
Live Life Then Give Life (LLTGL) was launched as a campaign in March 2006 by two friends - Emily Thackray (then 22) and Emma Harris (then 33). Both women suffer from Cystic Fibrosis, the UK's most common life-threatening genetic disease, which causes progressive lung damage. The average life expectancy of a CF sufferer in the UK is just 31 years and in the final stages of the disease a double lung transplant offers the only hope of survival.In 2005, Emily was told that her lungs had become so badly damaged that without a double lung transplant she was unlikely to live beyond a year. She joined over 8000 other people in the UK on the transplant waiting list knowing that 50% people waiting for lungs die due to the chronic shortage of organ donors in the UK.
Having already lost 15 young friends between them whose wait for a transplant was in vain, Emma and Emily decided to take matters into their own hands to raise awareness of the incredible Gift of Life that people can pass on by donating organs after their deaths. They threw themselves into a brand new T-shirt campaign...and LLTGL was born.
In 2007, Emily finally received her double lung transplant just as her time was running out, and several new members to were added to the LLTGL campaigning team.
LLTGL continues to go from strength to strength, attracting both national and international attention and gaining support from all over the UK. In 2008, the team finally achieved their goal of gaining charitable status and in September of that year won 'Campaigning Team of the Year', at the Charity Times Awards, topping this with 'Best New Charity' Award in 2009.
Why does the charity matter?
Each year, 1000 people in the UK die awaiting an organ transplant due to the desperate shortage of organ donors. More than 9000 seriously ill people are currently waiting for an organ transplant to save or radically improve their lives, and many more require tissue transplants.With people living longer than ever before and continuous medical advances, the need for transplants is set to rise even higher over the next few years and without increased awareness and education more and more people will needlessly die waiting.
Organ donation affects us all because we are each more likely to need a transplant than to ever donate an organ. The charity is committed to saving the lives of all those in need of organ and tissue transplants — now and in the future.
