A BROTHER and sister will go under the knife together in Middlesbrough as he donates one of his kidneys to her.

Kelly Boden's kidneys started failing when she was 15 and she was given a transplant after a match came up on the organ donor register.

But after 22 years her donated kidney is starting to fail - and her brother Richard, 30, proved a perfect match.

"He agreed to be tested, was matched and said he'd do it straightaway," said Miss Boden, 38. "It is an amazing thing and I am very grateful to him.

"I think my mum and dad will be a bit worried but I am sure everything will be fine."

Miss Boden, an intensive care nurse at James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, received her first donated kidney from a young man who died in a car accident in Northern Ireland aged 21.

After she wrote to thank his family for the organ donation, they tracked her down and replied.

"I spent my 18th birthday in Northern Ireland and met all his family and friends," she said. "It was weird because his sister and I look alike and we kept getting mistaken for sisters ourselves.

"I still keep in touch with his family and let them know what I'm doing - but I haven't told them the kidney is starting to fail because I don't want to upset them. I'm really sad because it's like the end of an era.

"I have taken care of myself and the kidney has lasted a long time so I'm lucky."

Kelly's sister Donna Major and her husband Mark are organising a charity event at Liberty's In Town, in Middlesbrough, on March 4 to raise money for James Cook's renal ward.

Mr Major said: "Having kidney failure at such a young age had a huge impact on her life but she never let it hold her back. Her dream as a teenager was to become a nurse and help others. She has been a nurse on ITU for many years and saved so many lives."

Miss Boden must have her immune system repressed by special drugs to discourage her body from rejecting the new kidney and will take six to nine months off work, including two or three months without going out, to ensure she avoids illness.

Mr Major added: "We want to raise awareness of organ donation. Currently there are a lot of people still not registered and sibling or family donations are more frequent now."

* To sign up for the organ donor register call 0300 123 23 23 or visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk