Mum-of-three Amanda Selvaratnam, 57, and her son Philip, 22, underwent the life-changing operation last week.

As reported in The Press, Philip had suffered from kidney problems since he was a baby. Doctors warned he would need dialysis or a kidney transplant as he grew older.

Before the transplant, he was taking 18 tablets a day to ward off the effects of renal failure, which left him with fatigue. His kidneys were operating at about ten per cent of their normal function.

Amanda said that within nine days of the operation, his new kidney was already working at 50 per cent.

She said: "The kidney is working phenomenally well and that will increase over the next few months."

She said Philip, who spent five days in hospital after the four-hour operation, was already going out for walks.

She said: "Philip has a lot more energy - he walked to the shop yesterday. He is still sore, it was a big operation."

Amanda hopes the kidney will last at least 30 years.

She said: "It could last up to 30 years if he looks after it. It could take him to his 50s and by then there may be artificial kidneys available and he wouldn't need to use immuno suppressants."

Amanda spoke to The Press to highlight the need for more live organ donors.

She said medics do not always raise the issue of live donation with patients for fear of putting pressure on family members. The NHS estimates up to 1,000 people each year donate a kidney or part of their liver while they are still alive to a relative, friend or someone they do not know.

Amanda would urge anyone thinking about live donation to speak to the live donation team at York Hospital.

She said her operation took its toll, adding she felt awful on the second day, but started to feel better when she got home at day three.

A keen runner, her plan now is to get fit so she can take part in a marathon or ultra marathon next year in aid of Kidney Research UK.

And she wanted to highlight the fact that March 10 is World Kidney Day where people around the globe raise cash and awareness for research into kidney disease.

Find out more at www.worldkidneyday.co.uk/

Living donor fact file

Across the UK, more than 1,000 people each year donate a kidney or part of their liver while they are still alive.

The most commonly donated organ by a living person is a kidney.

A healthy person can lead a normal life with only one functioning kidney and therefore they are able to donate the other to help someone in need of a kidney transplant.

Part of a liver can also be transplanted from a living donor to help someone in need of a liver transplant.

Find out more at: www.organdonation.nhs.uk/become-a-living-donor/

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