Inspirational art showcase features the portraits of nine extraordinary people in “Nine Lives Saved – The Transplant Gallery”
It was a real privilege to be asked to produce a portrait photography exhibition with Hatch Communications and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust on Yorkshire’s ‘Be A Hero’ organ donation campaign.
Each one of us has the ability to save up to nine lives and I was asked to shoot portraits of nine inspiring individuals who have been gifted a second chance at life with an all-important organ transplant. These images were displayed in “Nine Lives Saved – The Transplant Gallery” hosted at Leeds City Museum, in the venue’s iconic Broderick Hall. The exhibition formed part of the ongoing Be A Hero campaign and designed to raise awareness of the important impact of organ donation in Leeds and the wider Yorkshire region.
The curation encapsulates a striking collection of portraits, depicting each recipient and their achievements – from charity work and fundraising, to summitting mountains, sporting triumphs and simply having the chance to go to school for the first time.
58-year-old Mark Cahill from Halifax was one of the inspiring individuals featuring in the Transplant Gallery, having received a hand transplant in December 2012. Mark’s extraordinary story recounts the remarkable time his wife Sylvia suffered a cardiac arrest and Mark was able to administer lifesaving CPR using the very hand transplanted thanks to the altruism of an organ donor – demonstrating how his gift of life enabled him to save the life of another.
“The Transplant Gallery shines a light on the importance of organ donation and the impact a donor has on not only the recipient, but their families, friends and colleagues. These inspiring individuals have used their gift of life to do incredible things. Each subject has a different story, but all of them have volunteered to take part in this event in order to help us spread the word about organ donation and encourage the people of Yorkshire to talk about it and sign the register.”
Rachel Summers, Transplant Coordinator at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Press coverage
Nine Lives Saved – The Transplant Gallery received extensive press coverage including the BBC, ITV Calendar news and the Yorkshire Post.
“It’s so important to tell the stories of our recipients. The transplant team at LTHT work tirelessly to co-ordinate successful transplant operations which save or drastically improve the lives of our patients. Anyone could find themselves in need of a transplant, which is why this is such an important exhibition. Each one of us has the ability to save up to nine lives and the nine transplant recipients featured in our gallery represent nine lives saved.”
Rachel Summers, Transplant Coordinator at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
I’m a passionate advocate for organ donation so I was delighted to be asked to work on this project. It was a privilege to be able to spend time meeting the nine subjects, capturing their portraits and helping them to share their story advocating the importance of organ donation.
To find out more about organ donation, please visit www.leedsth.nhs.uk/beahero You can also sign up to the donor register by calling 0300 123 23 23.
You can make a charitable donation to the Be A Hero campaign, which raises awareness of organ donation within Yorkshire, by visiting https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bahy1.
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