Louise Lawrence
Sponsored Tree Hug
Fundraising for Live Life Give Life
Story
Monday 20th September
Thanks so much to everyone for their efforts which has led to a total of online sponsorship at £455.00!!!!
This is amazing, there is also an amazing person who I must update you about.
Her name is Jessica Wales and the morning of 6th September, the same day I did this tree hug, she participated in the Adidas 5k inLondon's Hyde Park. With a limited lung function of around 11% this was a major challenge.
Tonight, Jess lies in a hospital bed with a ventilator keeping her lungs functioning as they are just too weak to work for her body.
Her life is slipping away...every breath is an effort and Jess will sadly die if she does not get a donor match for double lungs very soon.
There is no time to hesitate...please act now by joining the register yourself and making a pledge to talk to at least two people a day about organ donation. Talk for change! You can make a difference. Tune into GMTV today at 08:10am to hear about the twitter campaign to try and save a young girls' life. Help her life to go on!
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Friday 11th September 2009:
So... I did it!!! The great sponsored tree hug! I would like to thank EVERYONE who has supported me and helped raise over £400!!!! This is amazing and its all because of YOU! My legs were giving towards the end and my back ached as I was stretching along my thoroctomy incision. I did need plenty of rest after which I tried my very best to do! A hot bath was ordered. The lovely Emily, Abby and her fella(sorry love!) came along to show support on the day with mum and it was real good. A fab poster highlighting what I was doing was distributed and as many organ donor registration forms as poss! Thanks guys! I have loads of positive comments about my video too!!!
I think what I've taken away from this event is how much people have now thought about organ donation and cancer care. Sometimes these are treated as taboo subjects when they shouldn't be. This creates fear and ignorance. I find generally though that when facts are explained and when people can hear a real story, then they become more engaged and willing to help.
Please don't stop giving...this page is able to receive donations for up to a month post event so please do keep talking and passing on the organ donation link: www.organdonation.nhs.uk.
Your sponsor money will also go towards helping the care of young cancer patients...hopefully there's enough for a mini weekend break for a family. Thats all because of you!
I have had kind taxi drivers make donations because they recognised me from the local paper article I did and from advert about the event on Radio Mayday!
Thanks to the journalists, photographer, broadcasters who supported me and most of all to MY MUM, my rock and my best friend!!! Love you mum!!! :-)
Keep following me on my blog: http://happy-tobme.blogspot.com
Saturday 5th September: So, just one day to go before the big event! I feel quite prepared but my main weakness will be my arms I reckon?!? THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR RAISING OVER £300 for the two great charities: LLTGL and CLIC Sargent and there is still lots of time to raise even MORE. Without these two charities I believe that I would not be here today. When I was young and battled cancer, I have memories of being isolated and removed from the real world. Treatment when I was little was very different to now but there are still thousands of children in the UK and their families having to face uncertainty and sometimes death. A little trip to the seaside, some respite care can make a huge difference to how the child feels and may give them a reason to keep fighting on! LLTGL (Live Life Then Give Life) helped to prepare me for the realities of transplantation and I was able to socially network with people all over the world who were in a similar position as me...waiting for that call...hoping to live. This time last year, I was one of the lucky ones and got my lung transplant but did you know that there are around 8,000 people waiting on the transplant list now and 2,000 transplant operations take place each year. We can all make a difference, we can help life go on. Think about it and if its for you then just go to www.organdonation.nhs.uk
Oh, another big thanks to all of you who have joined my facebook group...the numbers keep on growing which is fab...do check out my little video if you haven't already...http://www.vimeo.com/6325140
Talk to all your friends, family, colleagues...share this justgiving link, talk about me...
You can check out the local newspaper story...page 3...ooh err...http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/md9Rnqv161CVijP4tIe-pg?feat=directlink
Wednesday 26th August 2009: Yesterday had a great time doing a photoshoot for a local newspaper. They seem quite keen to support this fundraising event and to raise the profile of organ donation and transplantation! Bring it on! I have been speaking with a lovely journalist so thats been good. I hope the photos come out ok? There were a couple of shots where I did some strange contortions...felt very exhausted afterwards and my arms ached ever so much from hugging the tree in different positions! I will post a link to the article should it actually go to print!!! At the mo I am in hospital for my annual MOT so I will be looking around the grounds in a bit for some potential tree victims that will endure the wrath of my hugging...ha ha ha!!
Monday 24th August 2009: Spent the best part of the afternoon slogging around IKEA and B and Q. It was mega tiring and I had to take several breaks as the pain was unbearable in my chest and legs. Great practice for my challenge! I have to go to hospital this week and I am planning on escaping from the ward to go tree hugging...well...its physio right? Please keep supporting by passing on this link and encouraging people to help make a change to someone's life...here's a link to someone special that is bravely coping with her wait on the transplant list http://www.justgiving.com/jessicawales1989/
I am so delighted that you have smashed the target, lets keep going to make an even BIGGER difference to help enhance and save lives! Fantastic stuff! Thank you all so much!
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Thanks so much to everyone for their efforts which has led to a total of online sponsorship at £455.00!!!!
This is amazing, there is also an amazing person who I must update you about.
Her name is Jessica Wales and the morning of 6th September, the same day I did this tree hug, she participated in the Adidas 5k inLondon's Hyde Park. With a limited lung function of around 11% this was a major challenge.
Tonight, Jess lies in a hospital bed with a ventilator keeping her lungs functioning as they are just too weak to work for her body.
Her life is slipping away...every breath is an effort and Jess will sadly die if she does not get a donor match for double lungs very soon.
There is no time to hesitate...please act now by joining the register yourself and making a pledge to talk to at least two people a day about organ donation. Talk for change! You can make a difference. Tune into GMTV today at 08:10am to hear about the twitter campaign to try and save a young girls' life. Help her life to go on!
************************************************************************************************************************************
Friday 11th September 2009:
So... I did it!!! The great sponsored tree hug! I would like to thank EVERYONE who has supported me and helped raise over £400!!!! This is amazing and its all because of YOU! My legs were giving towards the end and my back ached as I was stretching along my thoroctomy incision. I did need plenty of rest after which I tried my very best to do! A hot bath was ordered. The lovely Emily, Abby and her fella(sorry love!) came along to show support on the day with mum and it was real good. A fab poster highlighting what I was doing was distributed and as many organ donor registration forms as poss! Thanks guys! I have loads of positive comments about my video too!!!
I think what I've taken away from this event is how much people have now thought about organ donation and cancer care. Sometimes these are treated as taboo subjects when they shouldn't be. This creates fear and ignorance. I find generally though that when facts are explained and when people can hear a real story, then they become more engaged and willing to help.
Please don't stop giving...this page is able to receive donations for up to a month post event so please do keep talking and passing on the organ donation link: www.organdonation.nhs.uk.
Your sponsor money will also go towards helping the care of young cancer patients...hopefully there's enough for a mini weekend break for a family. Thats all because of you!
I have had kind taxi drivers make donations because they recognised me from the local paper article I did and from advert about the event on Radio Mayday!
Thanks to the journalists, photographer, broadcasters who supported me and most of all to MY MUM, my rock and my best friend!!! Love you mum!!! :-)
Keep following me on my blog: http://happy-tobme.blogspot.com
Saturday 5th September: So, just one day to go before the big event! I feel quite prepared but my main weakness will be my arms I reckon?!? THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR RAISING OVER £300 for the two great charities: LLTGL and CLIC Sargent and there is still lots of time to raise even MORE. Without these two charities I believe that I would not be here today. When I was young and battled cancer, I have memories of being isolated and removed from the real world. Treatment when I was little was very different to now but there are still thousands of children in the UK and their families having to face uncertainty and sometimes death. A little trip to the seaside, some respite care can make a huge difference to how the child feels and may give them a reason to keep fighting on! LLTGL (Live Life Then Give Life) helped to prepare me for the realities of transplantation and I was able to socially network with people all over the world who were in a similar position as me...waiting for that call...hoping to live. This time last year, I was one of the lucky ones and got my lung transplant but did you know that there are around 8,000 people waiting on the transplant list now and 2,000 transplant operations take place each year. We can all make a difference, we can help life go on. Think about it and if its for you then just go to www.organdonation.nhs.uk
Oh, another big thanks to all of you who have joined my facebook group...the numbers keep on growing which is fab...do check out my little video if you haven't already...http://www.vimeo.com/6325140
Talk to all your friends, family, colleagues...share this justgiving link, talk about me...
You can check out the local newspaper story...page 3...ooh err...http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/md9Rnqv161CVijP4tIe-pg?feat=directlink
Wednesday 26th August 2009: Yesterday had a great time doing a photoshoot for a local newspaper. They seem quite keen to support this fundraising event and to raise the profile of organ donation and transplantation! Bring it on! I have been speaking with a lovely journalist so thats been good. I hope the photos come out ok? There were a couple of shots where I did some strange contortions...felt very exhausted afterwards and my arms ached ever so much from hugging the tree in different positions! I will post a link to the article should it actually go to print!!! At the mo I am in hospital for my annual MOT so I will be looking around the grounds in a bit for some potential tree victims that will endure the wrath of my hugging...ha ha ha!!
Monday 24th August 2009: Spent the best part of the afternoon slogging around IKEA and B and Q. It was mega tiring and I had to take several breaks as the pain was unbearable in my chest and legs. Great practice for my challenge! I have to go to hospital this week and I am planning on escaping from the ward to go tree hugging...well...its physio right? Please keep supporting by passing on this link and encouraging people to help make a change to someone's life...here's a link to someone special that is bravely coping with her wait on the transplant list http://www.justgiving.com/jessicawales1989/
Friday 21st August 2009:The training for my
tree hugging has slowed down a lot and has become a case of practising
hugging trees when I was at my old house in the garden or when at the
park with friends. I plan to get into full practice mode from now on
every other day I have to practice and in between keep up my training on the bike if I am not feeling too rough and keep up my tai chi for body strengthening. Sadly, I am still struggling to upload my video for my sponsored tree hug but I am still working on it!! Please keep giving and looking forward to seeing some of you on September 6th when I do my tree hug for real!! Keep passing on the link below as we can still raise much more for CLIC Sargent and LLTGL!!!
Update Thursday 6th August 2009: My first tree hugging practice was great fun...I did find that my legs were extremely weak and that is going to be my greatest challenge! I don't know how I'll cope with being tickled...will I lose my grip??? I hope not! My friend Juls and I managed to create a cheesy video which will be on here very soon and some pics! By the way, I have a tree-mendous (thanks Catriona, love this!) treehugging group on Facebook so please join by clicking here and please invite all your friends, family, colleagues, randoms...many of you have joined already which is great, thank you!!!
I am so delighted that you have smashed the target, lets keep going to make an even BIGGER difference to help enhance and save lives! Fantastic stuff! Thank you all so much!
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Update Wednesday 5th August 2009: Wow everyone! Its amazing that we're 85% of the target which is fab. What would be even better for these charities is to KEEP GIVING and help others to KEEP LIVING! I have a constant smile on my face as I am overwhelmed by your support! I better get that practice in!
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
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This sponsored tree hug is a special event I have created for September 6th 2009 at Crystal Palace Park, London @ 2pm.
I will be hugging a tree continuously without a break for two hours!!
This will be a major challenge for me as I have acute mobility problems and currently have lymphoma and heart failure.
I was very lucky that nearly 1 year ago, aged 28, I received a life changing call after a long and agonising wait on the UK transplant list. Everyday I would jump at the sound of the telephone, hoping and praying that my life would be saved. My only hope was to have a lung transplant and time was running out. On August 19th 2008, I had an operation for a lung transplant. Today, I am alive and this is due to my donor and their family to whom I owe everything. LLTGL is a special charity that aims to promote awareness of transplantation and drive support for registering on the UK organ register. This charity also helps to provide support for people who are part of the transplant experience. Such a community helped me through very tough times when I felt hopelessness and helplessness.
CLIC Sargent is also a very important charity that supported me and my family when I battled childhood cancer. I remember having special days out and having fun! Do check out my blog if you would like to know more about my journey http://happy-tobme.blogspot.com
Right now there are people losing their lives. Please help those waiting on the transplant list for their Gift of Life by sponsoring this event and help young cancer patients to have hope at a time of difficulty.
So please dig deep and donate now.