Our predominant aim at Live Life Then Give Life is to increase the number of people on the organ donor register by encouraging the public to think and talk about organ donation. We do this in a number of ways including:

• Media campaigns
• Talks and lectures
• Producing and distributing literature
• Holding key events for the public
• And of course our now famous T-shirts

Amongst other projects Live Life Then Give Life has orchestrated: Laughter For Life!, The Big-Hearted Challenge and the Scottish Parliament Presentation. You can read more about events over the last year or so on our Latest News pages.

At Live Life Then Give Life, we feel strongly that united we are stronger, which is why we are proud to work closely with other transplant organisations and charities including UK Transplant, Transplants in Mind, Donor Family Network and many others.

Read on to find out more about who we are and what we do...



The Live Life Then Give Life charity is the idea and work of Emily Thackray (23) and Emma Harris (34). Both Emily and Emma suffer from Cystic Fibrosis, the UK's most common life-threatening genetic disease, which affects various organs of the body, in particular the lungs and the digestive system. The average life-expectancy of a CF sufferer in the UK is just 31 years, with the majority of deaths caused by the progressive lung damage which characterises CF.

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.

In March 2005, she joined over 7000 other people in the UK on the transplant waiting list and was told the devastating statistic that there was a 50% chance she would die before a transplant came through in time due to the serious and ever increasing shortage of organ donors in the UK.

Having already lost 15 young friends between them whose wait for a transplant was in vain and with time running out for Emily, she and Emma decided to take matters into their own hands. They launched the Live Life Then Give Life charity in March 2006 to raise awareness of the incredible Gift of Life that people can pass on to others by agreeing to donate their organs after their death.

With campaigning keeping both girls busy, 12 months came and went, and Emily clung on, surviving several major lung collapses in that time. 22 months after joining the waiting list, just as time was running out, Emily received that call she had been so desperately hoping and waiting for, and she received her transplant January 2007.

Since its launch, Live Life Then Give Life has gone from strength to strength, attracting both National and International attention and gaining support from thousands of people from all over the UK.

Due to the campaign succeeding and growing beyond all expectation, Emma and Emily decided they could not make the most out of Live Life Then Give Life, and the resources now available, on their own. In order to make it the best that in can be, at the end of 2007, Live Life Then Give Life took its first steps towards becoming a charity by taking on four new members: Hal Cohen, Jen Dickinson, Anders Gibson and Oli Lewington.

You can also click here for all the latest news and information about the charity. If you want to get involved or just want to know more about who we are or what we do, you can email us using our contact form.



There is a serious and increasing shortage of organ donors in the UK. Last year over 450 people died whilst awaiting an organ transplant and there are currently over 7500 seriously ill people on the waiting list whose lives are dependent on the gift of organ donation.

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 an increase of understanding of just how important the gift of life is, more and more people will die waiting.

Organ donation affects everyone. You are more likely to need a transplant than to ever donate an organ.



To combat this chronic shortage of donors it is essential that more people start thinking and talking about the issue. Only 24% of the population have currently signed the National Organ Donor Register, even though when questioned the majority of the population support the idea.

Equally important as thinking about your own wishes is to talk about them with your family, as bringing up the subject of organ donation in advance could bring comfort and alleviate stress should the time ever arise.

Wear one of our “Live life then give life” or “I'd give you one...” T-shirts to send out a positive message and encourage others to think and talk about their wishes!


The charity and this website are dedicated to the memory of our very special friend, Gary Torrance, who passed away in January 2005 at the age of 23 after a 14 month wait for a double lung transplant.