In 1996, my youthful certainty that 'I had all the time in the world' took a bit of a knock, when I went from seemingly fit and healthy to needing a heart transplant in the space of just two months.

Dilated cardiomyopathy turned my family's world upside down. A heart transplant at the 11th hour saved my life, but as a result, the world felt very different. Those early days revolved around biopsies, blood tests, medication and avoidance or management of rejection. Life was measured in terms of days, months and years PTx (post transplant) and the future seemed far from certain.

With amazing support, I navigated my way through the those difficult first few days and weeks before racking up many months and (so far) over twenty years of bonus time that would never have been possible without the gift of organ donation.

Organ donation saves lives - no doubt, but it needs careful handling, education and specialist care in sensitive circumstances. Transplant Sport and The Freeman Heart & Lung Transplant Association both help to raise awareness of the vital role organ donation plays in giving people like me a chance at a wonderful, fabulous life. They also provide valuable support, advice and organise life-affirming events like the annual British Transplant Games.

Cardiomyopathy is a complex condition. In my case it turned out to be hereditary, though this was only realised after my brother became ill with the same symptoms at the age of 29. He had to wait too long for his gift of life, and in the end, we lost him after a courageous fight. The British Heart Foundation funds research which is critical in understanding, managing and ultimately, one-day preventing conditions like Cardiomyopathy from robbing our loved ones of their tomorrows.

If you'd like to show your support for these three charities then I thank you from the bottom of the best gift I've ever been given.