A LOVING wife has offered a kidney to save her husband's life.

Christine Hughes, an administrator at Alston View Nursing Home in Longridge, is visiting Manchester Royal Hospital next week.

She will begin consultations to see whether she can undergo a pioneering procedure to donate a kidney to her husband David, desipte not being a match.

David has chronic renal failure due to cysts on his kidneys and undergoes eight hours of peritoneal dialysis a day to keep him alive.

On discovering his illness 10 years ago, Christine offered to donate one of her kidneys, but was told she was not the right match.

Recently the couple came across the procedure of non-matching transplants.

Christine said: “The Manchester Royal has managed two successful operations and, knowing that we had been interested in the procedure, the specialists called us up and invited us for a consu-ltation.”

David, 64, has been on the transplant list for more than two and-a-half years and Christine claims he could be waiting for more than four years.

In her effort to find a matching kidney, Christine underwent an intensive diet to lose two stone and had numerous health checks so that the couple could join a 'pool pairing' system, which allows people to 'swap' kidneys with matching donors and recipients around the country.

The 60-year-old said: “I knew there was someone out there that was a match for him so it was a risk I was prepared to take. If I could help someone else to help David then I was fully prepared to give away a kidney.”

But despite nine pairing runs, a match was never found.

The couple, who live in Ingol, Preston, hope that their story will encourage others to think about organ donation.

David, a civil engineer for Lancashire County Council, said: "Christine is quite remarkable as she has been determined ever since I was diagnosed with my illness.

“We would urge more people to think about organ donation. It is the greatest gift you can give to someone and it can make a huge difference to their life.”