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Life Links - #stillbreathing: Too young to be ill

December 30, 2015

A man in need of a new heart, an ex-soldier with post-traumatic stress disorder and a woman whose lung problems are man-made. They're all under 30. And they're fighters.

https://p.dw.com/p/1HWzu

Alexander lives his life hooked up to a machine. It's life support in the literal sense; his heart doesn't drain blood properly. The measure is meant to be temporary - the 20-year-old is on an organ donation list for what he really needs: a new heart. But Germany's organ donation system is in crisis, and he doesn't know how long he'll have to wait.

David fought for his Queen and country in Iraq and Afghanistan. But shortly after returning home to England, his life started to fall apart. His marriage failed, he couldn't sleep, he started to drink. Like an estimated 1 in 5 war veterans, he was suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, a mental illness the British government isn't doing enough to tackle.

Tsegi can’t breathe like other people. The young Mongolian has severe lung problems - that are man-made: she’s from Ulaanbaartar, one of the world’s most polluted cities. Her dream is simple: fresh air.

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Life Links