Live Life Like Lisa Orsi

This Saturday, October 29, a group of fifty Gaelic footballers, hurlers and camogs representing GAA clubs from Derry and Donegal, as well as a local youth training organisation will set off for China and the Asian Gaelic Games.

They are travelling as part of the Live Life Lisa Foundation to celebrate the life of 22-year-old Lisa Orsi, the young Singapore Lions player, who died in March 2015.

Lisa Orsi passed away in March 2015 after suffering extreme high altitude sickness on a volcano trek in Indonesia. Lisa was a physio working in Singapore, and originally a player with the Ardmore GAA club in Derry, she played football for the Singapore Lions club and had been part of the Asian Championship winning team in 2014. The Cup was renamed in her memory.

Following her untimely death, her organs were harvested and donated to help save the lives of others. Her father Dennis paid tribute to his daughter at the time saying: “Lisa was extremely fit. She enjoyed her nights out, she enjoyed a pint of Guinness or a bottle of wine, but as far as fitness was concerned… she played for the senior ladies’ Singapore Lions team and they had won the Asian Gaelic Games this year. She played proud and she played hard. She was a very fit girl.”

The Live Life Lisa Foundation is the realisation of the Orsi family’s dream to establish a meaningful memorial to their daughter for other young people. Her dad explained:

“Lisa lived life to the full. She always enjoyed travelling and learning about other cultures. When I was at last year’s Asian Gaelic Games in Shanghai to present the Lisa Orsi Cup to the winning team, I thought it would be an amazing tribute to Lisa if I could somehow manage to bring other young people from Derry and the surrounding area to participate in the Asian Gaelic Games and enjoy some of the experiences that Lisa had enjoyed.”

Mark O’Doherty, Development Officer with Doire Trasna GAC and Foundation chairman explains: “The Foundation wants to encourage young people to go beyond their comfort zone and to develop new skills, both on and off the playing field; and to travel and experience other cultures.” 

Mark says that he’s been really encouraged by the way the Foundation has got local GAA clubs to work together to achieve a common goal. Since its launch £75,000 was raised to fund the trip to Shanghai for the Asian Gaelic Games.

“The GAA is well rooted in the local community and people have really got behind all the fundraising events to help us reach our target.”

He adds: The Foundation aims to promote inclusion through participation in sports. Those selected to travel to China are actively involved as players, coaches and referees with their own clubs and we hope that their experience of preparing for the Asian Gaelic Games will inspire other young people.”

The Foundation was launched by Lisa's family in June 2016 to give young people from the north west of Ireland an opportunity to travel to the Asian Gaelic Games and experience some of the adventures that Lisa enjoyed in her all too short life.  

The group will stay in Beijing for 3 nights and then get the high speed (Bullet) train to Shanghai where they will be based for 5 nights. The Asian Gaelic Games will take place in Shanghai from Friday November 4 to Sunday November 6.

The itinerary on the trip of a lifetime for the young players includes visits to the Great Wall of China, Tiananmen Square,  Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven in Beijing. In Shanghai, the group will visit Oriental Pearl TV tower, Yu Garden, Old City Market and Nanjing Road. 

It’s an exciting time for all the young players, and a tribute to the memory of the adventurous young woman in whose memory they are travelling.

The Live Life Lisa Orsi Foundation is working to promote awareness of both organ donation and of the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust.