Christine Butler has been described as ‘an amazing person’ after donating her kidney to her nephew, helping to give him his life back.

The 58-year-old nurse and grandmother from Great Somerford is still recovering from surgery after going through the life-saving operation at the end of June for the sake of her nephew Mark Kington, 40, of Derry Hill, Calne.

Mrs Butler, who works at Cirencester Hospital, fought back tears as she explained why she wanted to help her brother’s son.

“It was niggling and had been on my mind a while,” she said.

“I spoke to my children and told them that I was thinking about donating a kidney and what did they think, and my youngest son said that if it was one of his nephews or nieces he would do it straight away, so that confirmed it for me.”

Mr Kington was born at Greenways Hospital, Chippenham, with renal failure, where the kidneys are unable to properly filter waste from the blood.

His condition went undiagnosed until he was about six months old.

It was not until he was 12 that he was told he would need to go on to dialysis four times a day.

“I was in hospital for about six weeks then, said Mr Kingston, a graphic designer at Image Factory, Bumpers Farm Industrial Estate, Chippenham.

“They discharged me to start doing it myself and the same night my parents got a call to say they had a kidney for me.”

Mr Kington was given a kidney transplant on February 23, 1986, but despite the success of the operation, he became ill again about five years ago.

“The life expectancy (of the organ) when you have a transplant is eight years,” he said. “Mine lasted 23 years, so it did pretty well.

“I went back on to dialysis three times a week; it was really draining. My wife was always tired as well because she was my carer.”

But two-and-a-half years ago, Mrs Butler contacted her nephew and went round to his house to ask if she could be his donor.

“I just felt really pleased and happy,” said Mr Kington. “My wife was crying and it was all just a bit of a relief.”

After numerous tests, Mrs Butler’s kidney scored a five out of six in terms of a match, the pair went into hospital on June 21 and Mr Kington was discharged on June 27, the day before he was 40.

Mr Kington said: “It was the best birthday present for me – the gift of life.

“I was going to have a party but I called my Aunty Chris and said ‘Aunty Chris, I would rather have a kidney then a party’.

“I just don’t know how to thank her; it is amazing what she has done for me.”

Mr Kington and his aunt hope their story will encourage more people to consider coming forward to be live donors. Those interested can visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk