A MOVING documentary about organ donation which tells the story of a Basingstoke teacher’s battle with cystic fibrosis is being released next week.

A Love Worth Giving will premiere in London on December 1, on the same day that Wales becomes the first UK nation to introduce an organ donation system where consent is assumed.

The film tells the story of newlyweds Sam and Luke Yates, a young couple from Basingsoke, who built a life together around the physical and emotional challenges that come from living with CF.

The short documentary highlights the desperate lack of organ donors in the UK and around the world.

By releasing it free of charge, the film-makers hope it will be shared online and help raise awareness of the need for more donors.

Tragically, Sam fell victim to the statistic that one in three people on the transplant list will die waiting.

After years on a daily cocktail of drugs to control the CF, doctors told Sam her only chance of survival was a new pair of lungs.

She waited three long years for the life-changing call, and was given hope during several false alarms, but her health was deteriorating and time was running out.

Sam lost her battle in April 2013, aged 28.

Luke was forced to continue life alone and find a way to make sense of their short time together.

He said: “Sam had an appreciation of life that I didn’t. Having cystic fibrosis meant she wasn’t sure how long she’d live, so she embraced life fully.”

A Life Worth Giving was made possible thanks to the generous support of backers on Kickstart, a number of whom either have CF or are transplant recipients.

But because of the risk of infection, they cannot gather for the premiere so a viewing will also be held online at the same time at aloveworthgiving.com.

As well as telling Luke and Sam’s story, the documentary highlights the desperate need for more organ donors.

More than 10,000 people in the UK are in need of an organ transplant – the World Health Organisation acknowledges that the demand for organs outstrips supply in almost every country of the world.

The screening will be followed by a question and answer session with the film’s director, James Newton, Luke, journalist and transplant recipient Sharon Brennan and transplant surgeon Dr Zeeshan Akhtar.

Mr Newton, who was friends with Sam and Luke, shot the film over four years, hoping that it would end with Sam receiving a transplant.

He said: “I’ve seen how powerful stories can motivate audiences and I promised Sam that I would use her story to raise awareness of the urgent need for organ donors.”

The team behind A Love Worth Giving are working with The Cystic Fibrosis Trust, Live Life Give Life and Dying Matters who are supporting the film with their experience and expertise to ensure that the documentary has a meaningful impact.