London , England ( CNN ) -- Eight years ago Justine Laymond was told by doctors to say a final goodbye to her family -- she had , they said , only hours left to live before her lungs would stop working and her body shut down . But this July Laymond defied her medical fate and made history by becoming the first double lung transplant survivor ever to have raced across an ocean . The 39-year-old from England , who has suffered nearly 20 lung collapses due to a condition known as Lymphangioleiomyomatosis ( LAM ) , is part of a multinational crew taking part in the bi-annual Clipper Round the World Yacht Race -- the only sailing race in the world where crews are made up by ordinary people , many with little or no sailing experience . This year more than 500 people from 41 countries are taking part in the 40,000-mile relay race , which started in August 2011 and is set to finish later this month . The line-up this year consists of ten identical 68-foot long yachts -- all sponsored by different cities around the world -- that are currently on the eighth and final leg of the race . Laymond decided to get involved in the competition when she heard that the crew representing Edinburgh would have a relay team of transplant patients , surgeons and specialist nurses on its boat to raise awareness for organ transplantation -- something that saved her life six years ago . `` For years I suffered from chest pains but no one knew what was really wrong with me , '' said Laymond , who despite her pains led a very active life -- working at a gym and teaching children street dance in her spare time . `` When I was 31 I suffered a double lung collapse and was rushed to hospital . They referred me to a specialist who found hundreds and hundreds of cysts in my lungs and I finally got diagnosed with ( this ) rare condition , '' she said . The doctors told Laymond that , with no functioning right lung and only 30 % capacity remaining in her left lung , she would be unable to have kids and that she would die if she did n't have a transplant . `` My world fell to pieces , '' said Laymond , whose condition quickly deteriorated after she was diagnosed and left her in a three-week-long coma fighting for her life . She refers to this period as her `` dark days , '' as she was slipping in and out of consciousness while on life support . In 2006 , after 16 months of waiting and three false alarms , she finally received a new set of lungs in a 10 hour transplant operation , and she has n't looked back since . `` I 'm definitely a bit of a fighter . Because I had been in a coma I had to learn how to walk again and when I finally got out of hospital I decided to set myself daily challenges -- to do something different and to push my boundaries and defy the odds , '' said Laymond , who confessed that to date none of her challenges have been as difficult , or is ever likely to be as challenging as the Clipper race . More from Mainsail : Solo adventurer says she 's relieved to be back on land . Indeed , it was far from plain sailing for Laymond 's crew on board the `` Edinburgh Inspiring Capital '' yacht , whose Atlantic Ocean crossing was a grueling affair plagued by tropical storms and rough seas . With a weak immune system and only 60 % lung capacity it was a mammoth challenge for Laymond : `` Towards the end I thought I could n't do it . The cold got into my lungs and I got so weak that I thought I might have to be airlifted off and go to hospital to get some fluids and real food . But the skipper and the rest of my team were so fantastic and supportive that I managed to hang in there . '' Her skipper Piers Dudin was impressed by Laymond 's determination and spirit : `` Justine has done incredibly well , she had a tough race physically and she really grew with the race . `` What she is representing is hugely empowering to people with similar conditions and she has certainly showed that anyone can do it . I think the whole team can be proud of what she has achieved , '' he added . The Clipper Round the World Race is the brainchild of Robin Knox-Johnston , the first person to ever sail solo nonstop around the world -- a feat which he managed to do in a journey that lasted 312 days between 1968 and 1969 . Watch : Fastest man on water . He said he came up with the idea for the unique race while he was exploring Greenland in 1995 with British mountaineer Chris Bonington : `` Chris was telling me how much it cost him to climb Mount Everest and I thought to myself 'that 's a lot of money ' and then I asked myself what is the sailing equivalent of climbing the world 's biggest mountain and the answer was obvious , it 's the circumnavigation . `` So I did some calculations on the back of a cigarette packet right there and then and I thought 'actually I could do a round the world race for half of what it costs to climb Mount Everest . ' '' The aim of the competition is to give everyone , regardless of sailing experience , the opportunity to experience the exhilaration of ocean racing . The first race took place in 1996 ; it consisted of eight boats and saw 300 people take part in the relay competition . See also : The enduring allure of tall ships . Since 1996 almost 3,000 people have competed in seven editions of the race , and although anyone can apply to take part , all selected crew members still have to pay a fee to join . It costs Â£10,000 ( around $ 15500 ) to do one leg and Â£43,000 ( around $ 67,000 ) to do the whole circumnavigation including four weeks of training . According to the organizers some people have sold their houses and given up their jobs to be able to join the challenge , others have managed to participate without `` any money in the bank '' by doing fundraising events . The only requirement is that you are over 18 and willing to work in a team and able to motivate yourself and others . Motivate others is exactly what Justine Laymond hopes her story will do : `` I have learned that life is too short -- so if you have a dream you just have to go out there and do it . `` Hopefully my story will inspire more people to become organ donors . It only takes minutes to register and it can save up to seven people 's lives . It saved mine . I 'm here because I 've been given the gift of life and without that donation it would never have been possible . ''
Justine Laymond is the first double lung transplant survivor to have raced across an ocean . Laymond decided to take part in the race to raise awareness for organ transplantation . In the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race crews are made up by ordinary people . This year more than 500 people from 41 countries are taking part in the 40,000 mile race .