Days to Live: Every Day, Do Something
Fine Art, Philanthropy, Resilience, Renewal, Photography, Portraits, Heart Transplant
Six years ago, Greg and I lay side by side in the quiet corridors of recovery, our newly transplanted hearts learning to beat again. We met in rehab—two strangers bound by a silent brotherhood of survival—and I remember even then how his eyes sparkled with mischief, defiance, and joy. “I want to do everything,” he told me. And he meant it.
To Greg, living life to its fullest isn’t about grand gestures—it’s about getting up every day and doing something. It’s about helping others because that’s why he’s still here. He doesn’t talk about second chances; he lives them. If there’s a ride to go on, he’s on it. A thrill to chase, he’s chasing it. “Because,” he says, “we’re all on borrowed time—but maybe ours is a bit shorter.” And in that borrowed time, he refuses to sit at home and mope. He wakes up with purpose. Every single day.
He talks about his donor often. There’s a quiet reverence in his voice, and a connection that goes beyond biology. “Sometimes I forget I’ve even had a transplant,” he says. “Then I remember, and I think of him. I wish I could meet his family, thank them.” He believes they were similar people—an intuitive bond forged in shared spirit. And that heart, that perfect fit, carried him from paralysis to power: from not being able to speak or move, to walking, writing, even squeezing playdough with purpose during rehab. “People don’t think about their hearts,” he says. “But you should. You really should.”
Now, with both of us approaching six years post-transplant, Greg speaks with wonder and gratitude. “I thought it was amazing after one month,” he laughs. “Now six years? That’s a gift.” He’s thinking about the future—watching his grandkids grow up, becoming a great-grandfather one day. He’s thinking about travel, about meeting people, about doing more. Always doing more. He is here to help people.
“You’re doing great stuff,” he told me during our shoot, “helping people like me realise what we’ve been through and how happy we should be.”
But it’s him—his attitude, his honesty, his unstoppable energy—that reminds us what Days to Live truly means.
If you are interested in participating in Days to Live, or have someone in mind who has an inspirational story, please reach out via the contact form on the Days to Live website and I will be in touch.
All images copyright Rand Leeb-du Toit and Days to Live, 2025.