Mother, 81, becomes oldest donor

The mother and son had two years of tests before the transplant

An 81-year-old woman from Staffordshire is thought to have become the oldest female organ donor in the UK.

Christine Wright, from Stone, donated a kidney to her son David, 51. They underwent the operation at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

"I don't think I did anything out of the ordinary, it's what any mother would do," she said.

The operation lasted more than four hours and appears to have been successful, doctors said.

I never doubted I was going to do it if I was able to, because I owe it to him Christine Wright

Surgeon Andrew Ready said Mrs Wright was thought to be the UK's oldest living female donor.

"The previous eldest was a gentleman in his 70s, who we felt at that point was kind of pushing our experience."

Doctors at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital carried out two years of tests before going ahead with the procedure.

Mr Wright, of Meir, near Stoke-on-Trent, had both legs amputated below the knee in 1994 after contracting MRSA. He suffered kidney failure four years ago.

"We're over the moon really because it's given us back my life. I'm very proud of what my mum's done," he said.

Mrs Wright added: "I never doubted I was going to do it if I was able to, because I owe it to him.

"I was just so pleased to be able to help."