This week started off being so busy and continues to into next week!
As I work for the charity Live Life Give Life we regularly get media requests come through to my fellow trustee and friend sarah as she is the PR & Media Trustee. She had a request from the BBC the other day to which I gave them a call on behalf of the charity. As I was spending the day doing LLGL work I was available to sort this out and see what was needed! We all are volunteers for the charity so everyone has their full-time jobs they have to deal with as well.
On the show, they were featuring an incredible lady called Tracey Jolliffe who had very generously donated one of kidneys to a total stranger and plans to donate part of her liver! Not only that but she has also signed up to be a stem cell donor, she regularly gives blood and over 80 pints and has donated her eggs 3 times!
Alongside this story they were looking for people to join the panel who had received an organ from a total stranger. I expressed how I was happy to help as it was such short notice for the next day and that my fellow advocate for the charity Andrew could attend as well!
So the plan started going ahead. We were back and forth in contact all day, it was on then off then on and then off, they wanted a living donor, which lungs fr obvious reasons cannot come from a living donor! Then they wanted egg donors, and blood donors. It was a bit unclear.
By the end of the day, and when I say the end im talking like 8pm that night they had decided to stick with myself and Andrew they couldn’t get anyone else in the time frame they had! Last resort haha
However I believed this would be a great opportunity for our charity to be promoted along with organ donation so I am fully behind it, That’s why I do the things I do!
Here is a few pictures of me on the the Victoria Derbyshire Show BBC2!
Myself and Advocate Andrew Whitby
In the green room.
Yeah I was there ha
52 mins in, Was only a short snippet and typically I couldn't hear well, was so quite in the studio and everyone spoke to softly!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b088sfzc/victoria-derbyshire-17012017It was a great experience and loved seeing the background of what happens in a studio.
So that was a great and uplifting to do.
The I went to work for the afternoon. And after the show the BBC radio wanted someone from our charity to do some radio interviews for drive time which are fabulous advocate Carla proudly took the honour of doing and done an amazing job as usual, all our advocates and team are fantastic!
So that was Tuesday...
Then Wednesday myself and fellow Trustee Sarah had a brilliant and successful meeting with the NSHBT. We met in london off oxford street at a blond donor centre.
Firstly I was fascinated by that as I have never been to one as I unfortunately cannot donate, I'm a taker in this situation!
I just wanted to go up to everyone waiting to be called to give blood and thank them for being amazing!
Anyone who donates anything in my eyes are wonderful amazing selfless people! And it shows that humanity are still great despite some flakey people haha.
So once I got over my overwhelming moment of wanting to hug everyone we were Called up and met 3 wonderful lovely members of the team and we spent hours chatting together Sharing information, and hoping to work closely together with our charity! So it's been a very positive week for Live Life Give Life in that sense!
Been a busy old week, My tummy constantly keeps playing up but my diet change has helped! Lots more to that, I have visited Frimley hospital recently to do tests and book future tests to check for lots of things one I had a blood test for was celiac disease a genetic blood test they can do I'm told, so hopefully I don't have that!
And further tests are being booked and should happen within the next 6 months! Going to be a productive year for that stuff now I'm settled after transplants need to get all the little bits sorted or helped at least that were irrelevant before!
I've lost 12 pounds whoop go me!! No carbs is helping and lots of gyming with my gym buddy tor!! Bring on the summer body hopefully! I do miss potato though!!
My next blog will be all about this weekend and spending time with my donor family again! Sharing our story!