SCHOOLGIRL Elizabeth Richardson has undergone a life-saving kidney transplant operation after a compatible donor organ became available at the weekend.

Ten-year-old Elizabeth was taken into St James's University Hospital in Leeds on Saturday night after her parents, Kirsty and Nigel, got a call to say they had a kidney match which was on its way from London.

She had the four-and-a-half hour operation on Sunday morning after hours of tests, and will need between five weeks and three months to recover.

Kirsty is still very poorly but her parents, who run the Carpenter's Arms in Fangfoss, near York, are very hopeful that the operation has been a success.

Nigel said: "It came as quite a shock when we got the call on Saturday. But we just went into action and took her to the hospital. She wasn't nervous at all - she was just asking the doctors and nurses lots of questions.

"This operation will save her life. She's still drifting in and out of consciousness at the moment, but she is being a very brave little girl."

Elizabeth, a pupil at St Martin's CE Primary School, in Fangfoss, has been in and out of hospital all her life because of a severe kidney problem. She suffers from nephrotic syndrome, which attacks her kidneys and means she needs dialysis in Leeds three times a week and has tubes permanently inserted in her chest.

She was put on the transplant waiting list 14 months ago.

Nigel said: "She probably won't be going back to school until September, but she couldn't have stayed on dialysis forever.

"This is her new chance, but we do remember that our gain has been a huge loss for a grieving family."

A spokeswoman for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "We are delighted that Elizabeth has been able to receive a kidney."

Updated: 11:09 Tuesday, March 19, 2002